Sarah Palin, and Mitt Romney

The idea that people like Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney are considered to be viable canidates for the American presidency is terrifying at best. These are people who hold religious beliefs which are certifiably false. Sarah Palin ,for example, believes in the biblical time line which would place the earths age somewhere between 8,000 and 18,000 years old. Mitt Romney believes that the Native Americans are lost tribe of Israel cursed with red skin for their indiscretions. These are two examples from the litany of beliefs which these individuals hold which are demonstrably false. Why are these nut jobs canidates for anything other than psychological evaluations?

Their viability as candidates is reflective of the type of ignorance, and apathy which infects large swaths of our country's population.
People who I talk to about this issue often respond with a predictable: "you cant criticize them for their religious beliefs and faith, because its separate from their politics"
Is it not painfully obvious that people's beliefs, religious or otherwise, affects their behavior in very transformative ways?
There is no one on earth whose political views are not influenced by, if not direct extensions of, their religious beliefs.
Take Sarah Palin again, she along with most Christians believe that the return of Christ will be preceded by great turmoil and war, as according to biblical prophesy. A person like this who naturally desires to see the return of her lord has a vested interest in the initiation of global turmoil and war. Now give a person like this command of the worlds most powerful military, the nuclear codes, and a seat on the U.N security council and Ta Dah!! You have all the preconditons for a self-fulfilling prophesy.

This prospect is beyond dangerous, and anyone who is willing to support people like this as candidates are nihilistic whack jobs!!