enlarge The Associated Press

Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska joins Sen. John McCain at the formal announcement of her selection as his running mate on Aug. 29. Her selection has proved controversial.

Apparently, all a citizen needs today to qualify for the job vice president is to be a member of the Christian religious right and a female.

Ah, yes, American politics never ceases to entertain. However, choosing a woman with little or no experience as Sarah Palin from a state whose population is less than most major U.S. cities is one of the most cynical, jaded and frightening choices in our history, even worse than that of Spiro T. Agnew and Dan Quayle.

Ms. Palin is utterly out of her depth and is obviously being used by the McCain campaign in a desperate and cynical race to win in November. Why not pick Olympia Snowe, Kay Bailey Hutchison or Susan Collins? At the very least these women have years of experience behind them.

But if I am correct, I am sure that a majority of Republicans will refuse to see this choice for what it is.

In the end, the party that is always yammering on about how patriotic they are and how much more they care about America than the Democrats has now chosen an utterly inexperienced woman with ties to the oil and gas industries (of course) to be in line for the job of president of the United States simply because of her religious beliefs.

Scary possibility? You bet it is!

Joan M. Conroy, Saco

I am glad John McCain has acknowledged that what is needed for the presidency is not so much experience as talent and skill and values.

We all know that. How much of what a president faces is something that they have faced before? This week we had a rare instance where President Bush got to face a second hurricane and perhaps learn from experience. The presidency and world events rarely allow a second chance.

Barack Obama has been vetted in 21 debates and 20 months of rough campaigning, including hostile questioning by various media pundits.

We know how he thinks and how he responds to crises. We know he will not fly off the handle and instigate war. We know he will not gamble with our country's military. We know he will respect and reinstate our Constitution.

As for Sarah Palin, there is not time to vet her for "a heartbeat from the presidency."

We know what some of her values are - Pro-life, pro-gun, pro-big oil, pro-earmarks, pro-war. There will not be time to learn any nuance to any of those, or if she values the Constitution. There will not be time to assess her talent and skill. She is a huge gamble.

I for one am not willing to gamble with my country.

Margaret Robin Kleinrock, Springvale

John McCain's selection of a running mate is disturbing. Not because he picked a candidate whose resume reveals little to recommend her for the job.

One who doesn't know anything about Iraq. One who asked, "What exactly does the VP do every day?"

It's disturbing because John McCain is telling us that, in a dangerous world, he would leave this nation in the hands of a person he's only met once - or twice depending on who you believe.

If I made out a will and entrusted my children to the care of a person I'd only met once or twice, what would that say about my fitness as a parent? What would that say about my regard for my children's well-being?

Country first? John McCain is dangerously unfit to lead this nation.

Craig Hickman, Maine Democratic delegate, Winthrop

Sarah Palin's failure as a mother is now a campaign issue.

I met the news of Sarah Palin's appointment to the vice presidential position of the GOP with excitement, surprise and trepidation. As an independent voter I am open to all the different options.

However, the news of Ms. Palin's daughter's pregnancy put a big question mark in my mind about her ability to govern.

I do not judge her daughter's character or the fact that she is pregnant, and I want to leave her out of this affair.

As a single, divorced mother of two daughters I know the...