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When Sarah Palin's father heard his daughter had been named John McCain's vice presidential running mate, he exclaimed in disbelief, "Holy cow!"

My sentiments precisely. Even after her electrifying speech Wednesday night at the Republican convention, I would still say: What was McCain thinking?

Sure, he needed "the women's vote" and is blatantly pandering to them. But it's highly unlikely that many true Hillary supporters will flock to Palin's banner. Hillary and Palin share no common ideology. Besides, women don't automatically vote for women just because we're the same gender. We've got more brains than that.

Palin, however, has probably mollified McCain's evangelical critics. She is a born-again Christian and an adamant opponent of abortion. She will appeal to single-issue voters who care more about outlawing abortion than about war, pestilence and famine.

But this is not amateur hour. This is a critical time in America. We are fighting two foreign wars, facing the possibility of a new cold war with Russia, grappling with Iran and North Korea. Besides, McCain is 72 years old and has suffered four bouts of cancer. His choice for vice president -- "a heartbeat away from the presidency" -- takes on intense importance.

Yet Palin has been the Republican governor of Alaska for less than two years and before that the mayor of a town with about 7,000 people. She has absolutely no national or international experience. She had never set foot overseas until she traveled to Kuwait to visit Alaskan soldiers deployed there.

Her debut on the national stage Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention was an indisputable success. It confirmed what Alaskans already knew: that she's a former television sports commentator with a keen sense of delivery and that she can fire up an audience with a rip-snorting speech.

Among the party faithful, there was obviously a sigh of relief. Some had privately questioned McCain's maverick choice. Even Cindy McCain, who is usually a sphinx-like figure, was absolutely gleeful after Palin's speech.

That said, what did Palin prove? That she's attractive and can give a good speech (written by McCain's speech writers). Yet her lack of experience on the national and international stage remains just that - lacking. Palin has done relatively well in her own world of Alaska, but it's a very small stage.

Her critics are now questioning Palin's "family values," a keystone of her political persona. They fault her for jumping at the chance to run for vice president despite daunting responsibilities in her own family. She has a 5-month-old baby with Down syndrome, and the child will likely need special medical attention. Her pregnant 17-year-old daughter and future baby will also need special help.

The vice president's job is demanding; the hours are long and lots of foreign travel is required. How would the job fit with her unique responsibilities at her own home?

Some Republican women gripe that the media's criticism of Palin is "sexist." I would urge women to stop leaning on that crutch. Screaming "sexism" whenever Palin is criticized belittles the term. Besides, Palin proved in her speech that she can throw a punch at the Obama-Biden ticket. Obama and Biden should feel free to punch back without being labeled "sexist."

For the moment, Palin has tempered the uproar about her unmarried 17-year-old daughter. Her family, including the boyfriend who fathered the child, appeared on the convention stage to rousing applause. If the GOP faithful felt uncomfortable with this complicated family tableau, they suppressed it.

Which is odd because the Christian right wing trumpets abstinence before marriage. Presumably the teenager's decision to have the baby instead of an abortion trumps all else.

McCain, meanwhile, seemed immensely relieved that Palin's speech was a zinger. It momentarily quieted harsh criticism about his judgment in choosing Palin and his lax system of vetting her.

In her speech, Palin was right when she called the presidency "the most powerful office on earth."

But delivering a good speech with a well-written script does not qualify her, if the worst should happen, to occupy that office. So ask yourself this: Is she ready to be president?

Rosemary Roberts writes a Friday column. E-mail: rmroberts@triad.rr.com.