The New York Times and The Washington Post on Palin

This morning, the editorial pages of both The New York Times and The Washington Post comment on the selection of Ms. Palin as the vice presidential nominee of the Republican Party. Both editorial pages offer several warm assessments. For instance, The Times observes:

The Republican Party has hardly been a champion of diversity in recent memory. So it was heartening to see Senator John McCain choose Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate.

And The Post similarly notes:

Now Mr. McCain can say he is giving voters a chance to make history by electing the first woman to be vice president.

Both papers also seem to appreciate the fact that Ms. Palin, who is 44, brings as The Times styled it, "some youthful counterbalance," to Mr. McCain's very advanced age. Beyond the obvious and undeniable appeal of the first woman to serve as vice president of the United States, and a relatively young one at that, the editorial boards of both papers express real caution about the prudence of the choice. As The Post observed:

But the most important question Mr. McCain should have asked himself about Ms. Palin was not whether she could help him win the presidency. It was whether she is qualified and prepared to serve as president should anything prevent him from doing so. This would have been true for any presidential nominee, and it was especially crucial that Mr. McCain -- who turns 72 today -- get this choice right. If he is elected, he will be the oldest man ever to serve a first term in the White House.

Though The Times finally concludes it is up to the voters to weigh the worth of Mr. McCain's choice, it doesn't shirk from stating the obvious:

Governor Palin’s lack of experience, especially in national security and foreign affairs, raises immediate questions about how prepared she is to potentially succeed to the presidency. That really is the only criteria for judging a candidate for vice president.

We Clintonistas fought hard to make Hillary Clinton president because she is extraordinarily capable, extraordinarily experienced, and extraordinarily presidential. Mr. McCain might have chosen Kay Bailey Hutchison, but his chose Sarah Palin. I like Ms. Palin, but she's no Hillary Clinton, and I am not going with Ms. Congeniality because I can't have Ms. Universe. This Clintonista finds Mr. McCain's cynical ploy more than a little cloying. Too cute by half.