Thoughts from Kansas

In an interview with CBS News, Cindy McCain lights into Sarah Palin:

"We differ on many issues; we differ with, across the board with people. We don't have to agree on every issue," the Arizona senator's wife said.

…CBS anchor Katie Couric asked if she supports an outright ban on abortion including in cases of rape and incest, she said no.

"No? So that's where you two differ," Couric asked.

"Uh-huh," McCain replied.

"What I agree with is the fact that she is a social conservative," McCain said.

No one disagrees that she's a social conservative. Indeed, her views are so far into the wings as to offend majorities of Americans, including, it seems, John McCain's second wife.

In the famous Eagle Forum questionnaire (scrubbed from the web but saved here), Palin demonstrated two things. First, that she can't follow simple directions, and second, that she believes women should be forced to carry the children of their rapists and/or relatives:

1. Complete the sentence by checking the applicable phrases (you can check more than one).
Abortion should be:
Banned throughout entire pregnancy.
Legal to save the life of the mother.
Legal in case of rape and incest.
Legal if the baby is handicapped.
Legal if the baby has a genetic defect.
Legal in the first trimester.
Legal in the second trimester.
Legal in the third trimester.
Other:__________________

SP: I am pro-life. With the exception of a doctor’s determination that the mother’s life would end if the pregnancy continued. I believe that no matter what mistakes we make as a society, we cannot condone ending an innocent’s life.

She failed to fill-in-the-blank, but her answer is that even rape and incest are not viable reasons for an abortion. In a Time poll earlier this month, 46% of Americans thought abortion should be legal in the first trimester regardless of reasons, and 40% said it should be legal in cases of rape, incest or to save a woman's life; as much as 86% of the public could well oppose Palin's view. In a Fox poll from last October, 70% agreed that "abortion should be legal … If the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest."

In that same Fox poll, 45% of voters needed to know a candidate's view on abortion before making their choice. Given that only 21% of voters agreed with Palin's restrictive views on abortion (and only 3% opposed abortion in cases of incest or rape but not to save the expectant mother's life), at least as many voters ought to vote against Palin because of her extreme position as will vote for her ticket.

Whether Cindy McCain is on that list remains to be seen.