Geraldine Ferraro

When Richard Nixon announced his running mate was Spiro Agnew, the largely unknown, two-year governor of Maryland, the campaign had 89 days to introduce him to the American public.

Yesterday's announcement of Sarah Palin, the largely unknown, two-year governor of Alaska, as John McCain's running mate came only 67 days before Election Day. It will be the shortest vice presidential candidacy in modern history.

Mikulski was influential in this barrier-breaking VP pickWhile it is a faint memory now, there was speculation up until the early summer of 1984 that then-Rep. Barbara Mikulski would make a good running mate for the Democratic presidential nominee.

She was one of three women House members considered for the job, the others being Pat Schroeder of Colorado and the female frontrunner, Geraldine Ferraro of New York. Outside Congress, two minor office-holders who would go on to national prominence -- San Francisco Mayor Diane Feinstein and Texas State Treasurer Ann Richards -- were also considered.

I would like to preface this that I was not going to speak about the presidential race so soon because we have no idea who Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will be facing, but recent events warrant the following comment. That comment is that if I were a member of the Democrat Party, I would hang my head in shame.

Here is what you have as far as choices for the Democratic ticket, simple and plain. You have a racist in Sen. Barack Obama (IL) and a snob in Sen. Hillary Clinton (NY). I normally do not call it so boldly, but that’s what I have to do.