American Women Living Abroad Say NO

I am an American woman living is Switzerland for the past 28 years and I have voted—via absentee ballot—in every presidential election since my 18th birthday in 1978. In all that time, I have never been so appalled and dismayed by a Vice-Presidential nomination such as that of Sarah Palin....

First, I am amazed that someone so inexperienced and completely unqualified would even be considered for such an important position. The decision by Senator John McCain was extremely rash; obviously, neither his team nor he adequately researched Ms. Palin’s background nor did they examine it with much scrutiny.

Second, as a woman, I am ashamed that when this particular glass ceiling was finally broken, it was by a woman who has done absolutely nothing during her entire political career to improve or advance the status of woman. Names such as Hilary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice, Sandra Day O’Connor, etc., come to mind, but not once have I heard Sarah Palin's name mentioned as a champion for women's rights and/or their advancement in the political arena.

Third, as an American living abroad, I find it extremely reckless, not to mention dangerous, to nominate someone with absolutely no foreign policy experience! Especially when one considers present world events—from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the Iranian and North Korean nuclear situations, to mention just a few.

The nomination of Sarah Palin is a very obvious and painful slap in the face to every American woman. To have chosen a woman who is the antithesis to everything for which we have fought is surely an abominable insult to every one of the women and men who have helped the advancement of woman in America—and around the world.
-Jennifer N., 48, Geneva, Switzerland