Palin is Palin. Not Quayle. Not Eagleton.

That is to say, Sarah Palin's emergence on the national scene is unprecedented.

Dan Quayle had been a Congressman for four years and a Senator for eight before he was tapped by Bush 41. He had a degree from Indiana University Law School. He may not have possessed a staggering intellect or the experience of a McCain or a Biden, but he wasn't an unknown quantity requiring public vetting.

Tom Eagleton had been a Senator for four years prior to being tapped by McGovern. He had a degree from Harvard Law School. He was a professor at Washington University. Unlike Quayle, Eagleton did require public vetting, which ultimately led to his removal from the ticket. However, Eagleton was no intellectual lightweight.

Sarah Palin, on the otherhand, is both an unknown quantity and an intellectual lightweight (not to mention a compulsive liar). The latter point is hardly debatable after the Gibson and Couric interviews. Nevertheless, let's have a look at some of her academic accomplishments: After numerous stints at other colleges, Palin graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in communications, or sports journalism, or something like that. And she was the second runner-up in the 1984 Miss Alaska pageant. She makes Quayle look like Cass Sunstein. The former point is equally undeniable. From the Bridge to Nowhere, to her questionable pregnancy, the list of things John McCain clearly didn't know when he picked her grows each day.

So let's stop with the historical comparisons. They're unfair to both Quayle and Eagleton. And they detract from the fact that John McCain made the most irresponsible Vice-Presidential choice in the history of presidential politics.