The Republican Vice Presidential candidate is gun-toting, God-fearing proof that we are at the mercy of morons. The comedy writer in me really, really hopes Palin gets in. Shooting, hunting, God-fearing, anti-abortion, book-banning, homophobic, white trash moron. The only problem with Sarah Palin is that she’s actually real.

Sarah Palin has many virtues. But the constructive act of governance is not one of them. Ms. Palin has not been engaged in national issues, does not have a repertoire of historic patterns and, like President Bush, she seems to compensate for her lack of experience with brashness and excessive decisiveness.

Democrats have warned that Ms. Palin, a first-term governor, is woefully inexperienced and is not qualified to serve a “heartbeat” away from the presidency. In her first interview for over two weeks, the 44-year-old mother of five struggled, when asked her views of the Bush doctrine, which states the United States will mount a preemptive strike against a looming threat if it deems itself at risk.

Senator McCain argues that he will magically morph into a powerful change agent. But in his 26 years in Washington, McCain was better at lecturing about reform than leading a reform movement. Republican corruption and governmental dysfunction only grew. So did McCain’s cynical flip-flops on the most destructive policies of President Bush.

Gov. Palin went from Sarah Who to conservative rock star in less than a week. In less than two months, she could be elected to serve under the oldest president ever elected to a first term. Intense, independent scrutiny by The Times and the rest of the news media of Palin’s background, character and record was inevitable and right.

Alaska’s economic well-being — sustained by oil and federal spending — has allowed Sarah Palin to avoid some of the tough budgetary choices vexing other governors. That raises questions about how much Ms. Palin’s experience is relevant to the rest of the nation and how much she can relate to struggling blue-collar voters.

For all the admiration in Alaska for Sarah Palin, her rapid ascent from an activist in the P.T.A. to the running mate of Senator John McCain did not come without battle wounds. Her years in Wasilla, her first executive experience, reveal a mix of successes and stumbles, with Ms. Palin gaining wide support but alienating some townspeople.

Aides to Senator McCain said they had a team on the ground in Alaska now to look more thoroughly into Sarah Palin’s background. Sources said the team assigned to vet Ms. Palin in Alaska had not arrived there until Thursday, a day before Mr. McCain stunned the political world with his vice-presidential choice.

After the stunning announcement by Senator John McCain on Friday that he had chosen 44-year-old Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his running-mate, new information emerged over allegations that Ms. Palin tried to use her gubernatorial office to take revenge on her former brother-in-law.

This week was a time for new beginnings. In the US, Barack Obama accepted the Democratic Party nomination, while Republican John McCain the little-known Sarah Palin as his running mate. In Australia, the Liberal leadership speculation entered an even more confusing stage, while the Labor Party outlined a number of new policies.