riiiiiight.

A completely honest and valid point, there was never any mention at all about experience until the Obama people brought it up about Palin.

Yep, I love honesty.

That's like sawing off your hands to get someone to admit they stole your gloves.

Yeah, damn Obama for bringing up the experience debate in the presidential campaign. I can't believe he would question her ability to lead when he is just as inexperien-

oh, he didn't bring it up?

well then...

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damn

When people realize that Palin has done more in her short tenure as Governor, it certainly puts the Obama supporters back on the defensive, trying to conjure up Barack's experience and legislative accomplishments (not counting his tenure as Editor of the Harvard Law Review)...

Kirsten Powers in a democratic strategist. Easy does it, Fellas.

The only thing better than honesty is deep thinking and natural wisdom... both in heavy supply here. Yep, another proud day in Amurka.

SangamonTaylor: When people realize that Palin has done more in her short tenure as Governor, it certainly puts the Obama supporters back on the defensive, trying to conjure up Barack's experience and legislative accomplishments (not counting his tenure as Editor of the Harvard Law Review)...

What a load of bullshiat.

TheDumbBlonde: Kirsten Powers in a democratic strategist. Easy does it, Fellas

no, she's a necon Rovian Bushbot plant who's out to sandbag Obama!!!

can't you see it?

/and she's hot, too

The headline is based on a completely bogus premise: Obama has said from day one that judgment takes precedence over experience.

It is a GOP talking point that makes "experience" a sacred cow. This pick merely undercuts their attacks against Obama, and, if we are to believe what they say about the value of experience, calls into question McCains judgment.

It's a brutal 1-2 against the GOP.

But go ahead, believe what you want, subby.

Yep, skleenar has it. The whole point is that Obama isn't touting his experience. The argument should be running the other way, if John McCain and his supporters are saying that Obama is unfit to serve on day one, that is undermined by the choice of Palin, who needs to be able to step in on day two, if needed. The choice of her as a running mate suggests that "experience" isn't all that it's cracked up to be.

I really hope that the Obama campaign does NOT go after her inexperience. Rather, use the above argument against McCain and ask, if Palin is ready for the job of VP, why is McCain so sure that I'm not ready for the job of president?

IF there was a strategy at all (and I think that gives McCain too much credit for brilliant strategirizing), it was to find someone with next to no experience, who's resume could be burnished just enough to make it look like they actually have more experience than Obama.
But that's just on paper. In fact, Palin is someone who does not in fact have any practical experience, certainly no foreign policy experience, no domestic policy experience. And not just that she's never negotiated complex foreign treaties, she's never looked beyond her very small sphere to the greater world beyond (and below).
I think it was a move calculated to bring in those 18 million supposedly now disenfranchised Clinton supporters, who know have a viable option.
Vote for the Vagina!

On the other hand, maybe McCain is counting on her diaper-changing experience.

there is a very simple question to answer if you think this is some form of trap:

if obama does not talk about her lack of experience, will mccain not say he is inexperienced?

of course, the answer is no. no matter what, mccain will say obama is inexperienced. he's been saying it for months now. so what does obama gain by avoiding this "trap"? nothing. palin isn't a trap, but touting her as one is an attempt to spin the situation to protect her from her obvious flaw.

I was watching Jack Cafferty the other night on CNN and he was almost apoplectic about the choice of Palin.

"The *only* reason McCain picked her was to get votes!"

Isn't that the *only* reason to put someone on the ticket?

DarthBrooks: I was watching Jack Cafferty the other night on CNN and he was almost apoplectic about the choice of Palin.

"The *only* reason McCain picked her was to get votes!"

Isn't that the *only* reason to put someone on the ticket?

Uh, no, the other being 'someone who can run the country if I become incapacitated.' Which clearly a communications degree prepares her for.

Or not.

SangamonTaylor: When people realize that Palin has done more in her short tenure as Governor, it certainly puts the Obama supporters back on the defensive, trying to conjure up Barack's experience and legislative accomplishments (not counting his tenure as Editor of the Harvard Law Review)...

"She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president?" said Green, a Republican from Palin's hometown of Wasilla. "Look at what she's done to this state. What would she do to the nation?" (Pops)

cameroncrazy1984: Uh, no, the other being 'someone who can run the country if I become incapacitated.' Which clearly a communications degree prepares her for.

Or not.

Not enough votes = no VP job.

The GOP plays to win. Ask Gore, or Kerry.

I have a communications degree and played high school basketball, so I encourage you all to write me in this November.

/miniature American flags for all

vincentpriceisdead: I have a communications degree and played high school basketball, so I encourage you all to write me in this November.

How close do you live to the border of another superpower ? I have to consider all of the important factors.

So, the logic is that Obama cannot bring up the experience factor concerning Palin, but it is still OK that Obama is attacked for lack of experience?

Just checking to see what today's rules are.

DarthBrooks: The GOP plays to win.

I'd rather vote for someone that can run the country competently, so thanks for reinforcing my ideals.

DarthBrooks: cameroncrazy1984: Uh, no, the other being 'someone who can run the country if I become incapacitated.' Which clearly a communications degree prepares her for.

Or not.

Not enough votes = no VP job.

The GOP plays to win. Ask Gore, or Kerry.

That's part of the problem with the leadership right now. It's more about winning the election, than what you do when you're in the chair.

You can't "win" in politics. You can get the seat, and that just means that the real work is about to begin. It's this very mentality that leads to short term thinking, with a party that used to stand for long term solutions. Long term planning. Careful and considered approaches.

This has fallen to the wayside with radicals who treat votes like games, as opposed to having consequences--and treating each vote and each situation as something that has to be "won" as opposed to dealing with each situation as having long range repercussions.

It's the approach that the election is a game, as opposed as an opportunity that has a lot of voters cynical to the process. Talk of "traps" and strategy is half the problem.

Might be easier instead of looking at things in terms of tactics and strategy, as opportunities to show your candidate off and show that you and your methods are superior. That's maybe a little naive and Old Skool, but that so many people think that you have to "play the game" shows how far American politics have fallen.

Hard to take the moral high ground when you treat politics as something winnable, as opposed to dealing with issues as they arise. Means that you're looking for your own reward when you should be looking out for the country's best interest...

Mordant: vincentpriceisdead: I have a communications degree and played high school basketball, so I encourage you all to write me in this November.

How close do you live to the border of another superpower ? I have to consider all of the important factors.

How do you look in a mini-skirt and fukc-me pumps?

Shenanigans. I think she's brighter than Monica Goodling, but not nearly as educated as Harriet Miers.

The Onanist: SangamonTaylor: When people realize that Palin has done more in her short tenure as Governor, it certainly puts the Obama supporters back on the defensive, trying to conjure up Barack's experience and legislative accomplishments (not counting his tenure as Editor of the Harvard Law Review)...

"She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president?" said Green, a Republican from Palin's hometown of Wasilla. "Look at what she's done to this state. What would she do to the nation?" (Pops)

Hillary and Biden also said Obama wasn't ready to be president. Who cares?

muck4doo: Hillary and Biden also said Obama wasn't ready to be president. Who cares?

the thing is, it's a trap because mccain is counting on the press and the less disciplined of obama supporters to harp on palin's inexperience and thus open up the door to mccain pointing out the democrats' inexperience at the top of the ticket.

it's not obama or his higher ups who will break, but the mouthpieces and netroots kos and think progress types who will fall into the trap

SangamonTaylor: When people realize that Palin has done more in her short tenure as Governor,

Alaska has a population smaller than Brooklyn, NYC. I certainly wouldn't call the Brooklyn borough president qualified to be the US president based on that. I can understand McCain going for someone different but in this time the Governor of Alaska is a big step down from a US Senator from Illinois.

It was cute when Bush I did it with Quayle, not so now. The world is a lot more complicated. McCain is a 72 year old cancer survivor, 76 by 2012. I have concerns about him finishing his term. Say what you will about Cheney, but he is more than qualified to lead the country in case something happened to W. Can the same be said about Palin? I don't know.

That said, we are voting for President, not Vice President. The VP is really not responsible for much. However, this smells like Harriet Miers all over again. I don't know what Palin's potential is. Is she another mental lightweight like Quayle or is she someone who, though inexperienced, is qualified to lead the country in case something happens to McCain?

Palin is a trap?

Hmmm . . .well I'm still fapping to her regardless.

oh, was it the obama people who were running notready08.com?

what a load of horseshiat! the mccain people are slamming the inexperience thing - and they just undercut it completely.

FlashHarry: oh, was it the obama people who were running notready08.com?

what a load of horseshiat! the mccain people are slamming the inexperience thing - and they just undercut it completely.

Because they don't care. Because consistency doesn't matter. Because the remaining people loyal to the steaming pile of shiat the republican party has become are retards far more interested in the success of their party over the success of themselves or their country.

This reallt shouldn't surprise anyone.

"OMG!!! She's even less experienced than OUR Obama!"


HAHA!

Cake Hunter: That's like sawing off your hands to get someone to admit they stole your gloves.

WIN.

/ obligatory

I'm thinkin Biden can handle the demands of POTUS if need be, way better than a junior gubinator.

SangamonTaylor: When people realize that Palin has done more in her short tenure as Governor, it certainly puts the Obama supporters back on the defensive, trying to conjure up Barack's experience and legislative accomplishments (not counting his tenure as Editor of the Harvard Law Review)...

Uh, have you seen Obama's legislative accomplishments? He's been pretty farking busy in the Senate.

muck4doo: Hillary and Biden also said Obama wasn't ready to be president. Who cares?

They were running against him at the time. This lady is supposed to be pro-Palin.

Look, the fact is that Alaskan Republicans apparently don't like Palin, even the state party chairman. Read into that whatever you want, but that's not spin.

Someone if might have been Palen herself said you can't vote present time after time as Governor.

Yep alot of difference tag.

I think the main issue in play here was clearly illustrated in the recent SCOTUS decisions on Goose v. Gander and Turnabout v. Fairplay.

/shamelessly stolen from another farker

McCain's cynical attempt to court female voters by naming Palin as his VP is one of the great condescending gestures of all time. Many Women are understandably upset that Hillary is not the Democratic candidate in '08, so the right wing hopes to capture a portion of that disaffected female population by callously choosing a creationist, anti-choice, hard core neo-con in the hopes that Women are dumb enough to vote for someone who represents the total antithesis of Hillary's beliefs and policy positions simply because Palin is female.

It's totally insulting to Hillary supporters and Women in general. Essentially McCain is banking on the sexist notion that Women don't concern themselves with ideas or principles and instead vote on emotion and loyalty to their gender.

The truth is that in an Obama administration, Senator Clinton will likely be the Senate majority leader and as some have speculated, a potential Supreme Court nominee. In either capacity she will have an immense capacity to champion worthwhile causes for the American populace and implement programs that work towards the betterment of all of us.

I surely hope that Obama wins this election, and as I did in the NY primary I intend to vote for the man in the general.

No matter how the GOP spins it the odor of desperation permeates their campaigne.

Sarah Palin has as much governmental experience as Barack Obama in the same way a career minor leaguer has as much baseball experience as Albert Pujols. Same in years, not the same in useful experience.

Came here for trannies. Dissapointed.

The difference is in the event of a something bad happening Biden can step up and take over for Obama, also if Obama needs to draw on Biden's experience he will be there for him. Neither of these situations apply to McCain/Palin. Do you think she will be able to assist McCain much in anything. It is also far more likely that something would happen to McCain than Obama, he did just turn 72 after all.

A brilliant trap? Are you kidding me?


This woman fails both on the experience and the judgement question. As the mayor of Wasilia, she plunged her town of 6000 people into a 20 million dollar debt!

She tried to use her executive power to settle a family dispute!

Yes many of us gals see right through the "Ha Ha how charade you are" bull hockey.

DarthBrooks: I was watching Jack Cafferty the other night on CNN and he was almost apoplectic about the choice of Palin.

"The *only* reason McCain picked her was to get votes!"

Isn't that the *only* reason to put someone on the ticket?

I thought the idea was to find someone who'd be an asset in running the country?

Well, it's apparently trapped several NRO commentators, newspaper editors and members of the public as well.

There is also wide uncertainty about whether she's qualified to be president. In the poll, taken Friday, 39% say she is ready to serve as president if needed, 33% say she isn't and 29% have no opinion.

That's the lowest vote of confidence in a running mate since the elder George Bush chose then-Indiana senator Dan Quayle to join his ticket in 1988. In comparison, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden was seen as qualified by 57%-18% after Democrat Barack Obama chose him as a running mate last week.

Just 29% of voters say Palin is ready to be president if necessary, ten points below the 39% who said the same a week ago about Biden, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a 36-year member of the Senate. Fifty-one percent (51%) of Republican voters say she is ready along with 32% of unaffiliated voters and 11% of Democrats.

In the new survey, 35% of voters say the selection of Palin makes them more likely to vote for McCain while 33% say they are less likely to do so. Most Republicans say they are more likely to vote for Palin and most Democrats say the opposite. As for voters not affiliated with either major party, 37% are more likely to vote for McCain and 28% less likely to do so. Those numbers are a bit more positive than initial reaction to Biden.

John McCain was aiming to make history with his pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and historians say he succeeded.

Presidential scholars say she appears to be the least experienced, least credentialed person to join a major-party ticket in the modern era.

So unconventional was McCain's choice that it left students of the presidency literally "stunned," in the words of Joel Goldstein, a St. Louis University law professor and scholar of the vice presidency. "Being governor of a small state for less than two years is not consistent with the normal criteria for determining who's of presidential caliber," said Goldstein.

"I think she is the most inexperienced person on a major party ticket in modern history," said presidential historian Matthew Dallek. [...]

"It would be one thing if she had only been governor for a year and a half, but prior to that she had not had major experience in public life," said Dallek of Palin. "The fact that he would have to go to somebody who is clearly unqualified to be president makes Obama look like an elder statesman."

"I served with Hillary Clinton. I know Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton is a friend of mine. You, Sarah Palin, are no Hillary Clinton." Sorry to steal Joe Biden's thunder, but we didn't want to wait for the vice presidential candidates' debate to say the obvious. Yes, John McCain, who argues with a straight face that Barack Obama's 12 years in the Illinois legislature and U.S. Senate aren't enough to qualify him to run for president, has picked a running mate who just two years ago was serving as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, population 5,470. In short, the presumptive Republican nominee, an Old Soldier in all senses of that term, drafted the political equivalent of the Unknown Soldier as his co-pilot. McCain's pick of Palin jettisons his attack that Obama isn't ready to lead and looks more like a desperate "Hail Mary" campaign tactic aimed at female voters.

But as this newspaper noted earlier this week, the most important question in evaluating a vice-presidential pick is whether that person is prepared to step into the Oval Office. Palin, with no national political experience and only a couple years in the Alaska governor's office, is a very tough sell for the Republicans on that score. McCain's age - he turned 72 on Friday - certainly doesn't help. The Republican presidential candidate has emphasized the importance of military and national security issues, and taken shots at Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama the Democratic presidential nominee for having only four years of experience in the U.S. Senate. Yet McCain now suggests that someone halfway through her first term as governor is "exactly who this country needs" only one step away from the presidency.

Wait, they want to criticism of Obama's lack of experience to be taken seriously. So, thier plan, after sending that argument through the Rube Goldberg machine that is their strategy machine, they come up with putting someone almost laughably inexperienced on the ticket. Makes you wonder if they even believe their own criticisms on Obama's lack experience; if experience is so critical why would they want a noob.