My fellow Democrats and whirly-eyed Obamaniacs*, it’s time to stop with the concern trolling. John McCain, it’s now clear, did not vet Sarah Palin before selecting her as his running mate. Which selection, rather obviously, speaks volumes about Senator McCain’s management style and temperament. Sarah Palin, in turn, has an issue profile that only James Dobson could love. And, although I think the Palins’ approach to family planning is off limits politically, there are enough other skeletons in Governor Palin’s closet to remind us, yet again, that the harsh light of a presidential campaign is not the right spot for on-the-job training.

Unless you honestly believe that there was a massive bloc of uncommitted voters just waiting for Senator McCain to tap an inexperienced, anti-choice creationist, a reformer so courageous that she supports the nation’s most venal politicians, a patriot so filled with love for the United States of America that she has remained ignorant of its history while making common cause with small-time secessionists, a steward of the Alaskan wilds so green that she wants to wrestle a polar bear and drill to the center of the earth, a mavericky Mugwump so independent that she demands absolute loyalty from her subordinates, a fiscal conservative so opposed to runaway spending that she can’t balance a budget and adores traife, a master of foreign policy nuances so committed to the details that she hasn’t yet given much thought to the Iraq war, a woman of such great integrity that she can’t help but lie about a matter of public record when she’s introduced to the American people, unless you really think that all of that’s true, can you stop worrying so much?

Because, yes, we’re Democrats, hunched after years of cowering. And yes, it’s still possible that Senator Obama will lose in November. But for the moment, I think it’s safe to acknowledge the obvious: this just isn’t excellent news for John McCain.

* I will not name names. You know who you are.**

** This was intended as a joke. Given that I’ve offended some people, the joke obviously fell flat. So let me be clear: I was kidding around, aiming at a very particular audience (see the first comment below). In retrospect, this kind of inside baseball is always a mistake. And I regret the error.