Sunday, September 07, 2008

Background Check? Ah, Not So Much.

Frank Rich wrote an excellent article on the Palin-McCain Shotgun Wedding today in the NY Times. I was especially intrigued by statement that Ms. Palin hadn't undergone a FBI background check, though (according the link Rich posted) the campaign said she had.

This hits home on a personal level. I had to undergo a complete background check, including fingerprinting, to obtain my GFL (Georgia Firearms License). Though I winced having the Feds winnow through my personal life, I accepted that as part of the requirement needed to obtain that license as I would be in charge of a potentially lethal weapon.

So why isn't Ms. Palin, who may be as little as one Code Blue away from our nuclear arsenal, given the same work over? Or any candidate for that matter? Just how do they vet these people? Should there be a standard vetting procedure, including full security and background checks? If that were in place, would some of our most excellent presidents (Kennedy, Roosevelt) ever have made it into office?

Interesting question and one I suspect we might not see answered on the national stage. So what do you folks think?

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