The Editor, Sir:

Ian Boyne's article titled 'Republicans in pain', in The Sunday Gleaner, aptly describes the reckless decision made by Senator John McCain in selecting Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential nominee. However, Ian Boyne must not be too quick in writing McCain's political obituary.

McCain relishes these moments in being considered the underdog, and old prejudices are hard to die, as many Americans do not vote on the issues; instead it is more about the personality, and this is the strength of the McCain/Palin ticket.

Hence, in spite of the fact that Obama advocates a more reasoned position with respect to the war in Iraq, or a tax policy pushing relief for the middle class as the catalyst to drive the economy, or an energy policy decrying dependence on foreign oil, he is still positioned in a very tight race.

This is largely due to a cultural warfare perpetrated by the Republican ticket by saying to the electorate that their candidates resemble the American people in a subtle attempt to attack Obama on race.

Unreliable

Thus, I must admonish the well-respected Boyne by saying McCain is not "dead in the water" as he opined in his article and come November 4, I, for one, will not be surprised if McCain comes out victorious. That's how strong the Republican brand is across the US electoral map.

Finally, most polls are indicating a seven-point lead for Obama, but polls are not reliable. In October 2004, most polls had Senator John Kerry leading George W. Bush going into the election and look how that turned out.

This time, I hope I am wrong.

I am, etc.,

ALFRADO VERNON

decassidi71@hotmail.com