When John McCain announced Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate Friday afternoon, many of us sat in complete shock as we watched the news unfold. We weren’t necessarily wowed by his choice. We were confused.

Who was this woman? The self-described “hockey mom” was as unfamiliar to the American people as the state she represents. Her résumé is terribly brief. Her experience makes Barack Obama look like a veteran Washington insider. So who is she really?

McCain would argue that Palin is here to shatter the glass ceiling Hillary Clinton nearly chiseled through just a few months earlier. But Palin is nothing more than a ploy to capture the disenfranchised Clinton voters. Although it may look as if McCain is reaching out to women by putting one on his ticket, some women are offended – and rightfully so.

Choosing a woman just because she’s a woman is inherently sexist. If she had experience to run on, it would be a different story. Clinton didn’t get as far as she did because she was a woman. It was her experience and tenacity. But the only thing Palin brings to the ticket is a lifetime membership to the National Rifle Association and a handful of extreme conservative views to appease apprehensive evangelicals.

If something happens to McCain, do we really want someone in the Oval Office whose only governing experience is with a state that has almost 300,000 fewer people than the city of Detroit?

When Obama announced Joe Biden as his running mate, we understood his choice. It made sense. Sure, Biden might not be the best “campaign” choice, but he’s definitely the right “governing choice.” And at the end of the day, what’s more important: simply winning the election or having a plan to effectively run the country once inaugurated?

McCain’s selection of Palin as his running mate exemplifies all that is wrong with the politics of a presidential campaign. Candidates do and say whatever is necessary to win and are less concerned about what they would actually do once they walk into the White House on the first day of the job. In fairness, Obama is just as guilty of this as late with his waffling on a few key issues.

The American people have a responsibility to make sure our candidates have a plan for their administrations. By the looks of McCain’s running mate choice, it doesn’t seem as if he’s looked too far beyond Nov. 4, and that’s scary.

The above editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board whose members are listed on the left.