Truth is, I don't really like Barack Obama that much. It's hard for me to respect someone who will sell out their preacher so easily, reverse on important policy positions so effortlessly, and pester me with obviously phony emails. I do respect him, and there's a really big part of me that wants to see his Presidency in action, but I'm also kind of glad I am legally unable to vote for him.

I also quite respect John McCain, and am curious to see his Presidency in action. While everyone gives the Obama campaign credit for their use of the internet, I've been following and impressed with the internet work done by the McCain campaign. There are learning opportunities everywhere as this election season demonstrates a true turning point in terms of the internet's influence in politics.

The bulk of my attention tends to focus on issues of organizing and logistics. While I'm quite involved in communications, my real interest is in intelligence, and the way that web tools impact the intelligence gathering capabilities of an organization and how that impacts the day to day operations and the pursuit of strategic goals.

A flip side of that of course is the dark arts, and the world of rumour, spin, manipulation, and attacks. My research into the political use of the internet must of course include the countless rumours and attacks that circulate online. Sometimes they have elements of truth, other times they are total fantasy. Usually they tend to be quite entertaining and offer a surreal sort of gonzo-style lense onto the campaigns.

This past week political news has largely been focused on McCain's choice for Vice President, Sarah Palin. At breakfast this morning my patron for the meal shared with me the perspective that a VP candidate need only matter for three points in the campaign: their introduction at the convention, their debate with their opposing VP, and the election day itself.

That suggests Palin is 1 for 1 and heading into the debates with an advantage over Biden as she can go for his throat while he will inevitably hold back in fear of appearing as an overbearing bully.

Palin's entrance into the national stage was of course met with tons of rumour and scandal, although so far she's seemed to survive and even thrive. Yet one rumour in particular strikes me as being a little too spooky to pass up.

I always loved the story of the Manchurian Candidate. The concept of putting a puppet into the executive office for the purpose of foreign or external control and manipulation. To some the original book/film was a story about paranoia, conspiracy, and communism. However I always saw the reality in the narrative, that candidates are always beholden to elites and powerful interests that help them rise to power.

The strength of McCain's personality, is that even though it resembles a kind of manchurian candidate story arc, he seems to embody the maverick who would do the right thing at the right time. Yet when combined with Palin, I find the resemblance and irony to be a bit overwhelming.

The question then becomes, is Sarah Palin a the manchurian candidate?

Combined, the McCain/Palin ticket is one that sells itself as reform, but also has visible ties to powerful corporate interests.

It strikes me that one of Palin's policy "assets" is her ability to sell the idea of expanding the oil industry in Alaska. What with McCain's age and health issues, is Palin the plant to be the next oil President?