Obama/Associated Press: "Palin is Inexperienced"

Obama, reacting to the choice of Palin for McCain's vice presidential nominee:

Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency.

The thing that bothers me the most about this quote is that is completely skips the part about her being governor. Yes, it was only for a year and a half, but it is a year and half more than Obama's leadership experience. It seems, if Obama was attempting to be honest, he should have a least said, "Today, John McCain put the first-term governor of a small state with zero..." I would have given him credit for that, at least. But as the quote stands, it is deceptive.

The "heartbeat" part was a nice touch as well.

Apart from that, there has been much buzz about the comparison between the experience of Obama and Palin. Here's my comparison:

Obama's got:
* Being a senator for 3 years (when he started running)
* More time in state government

Palin's got:
* 1 1/2 years as a governor (which the AP sees as equivalent to being a state senator, apparently)
* Being a mayor (which was not mentioned in the final comparison in the AP article)

In short, Obama might have more time in legislative positions, but Palin has more time in executive positions. So at worst for Palin it's a wash. To say that "Palin has scant experience. She makes Barack Obama look like a seasoned veteran" is a stretch.

And, let's not forget that Palin is the #2. Obama is the #1. There is a difference.

Wrong Rating: 2 out of 4 (misrepresentation)

Bill Clinton: "Inexperienced? Sounds Familiar"

Bill Clinton, reminiscing on the good ol' days when Republicans were criticizing his lack of experience:



On cue, CNN promptly put up on the screen this (irrelevant?) fact, which was cut from the youtube video:

Fact: Clinton is one of 12 pres. nominees who were younger than 47-year-old Obama; he was 45 in 1992.

Silly Republicans. Obama isn't that young, so all this talk of lack of experience is just spin, right? Wrong. Experience is more than just age. Bill Clinton had been a governor for a decade before he was president, and attorney general before that. Obama's experience in government leadership does not compare to that.

Obama's lack of experience was no more evident than when Biden was touting Obama's qualifications later in the evening: his work as a community organizer on Chicago's south side. True, the choice to help others rather than pursue loftier careers is admirable, but there are lots of Americans who have done admirable things. (serving in the military, for example). That alone doesn't prove he's ready to be president.

Wrong Rating: 1 out of 4 (spin)

Hillary; "I Do Not Approve That Message"

Hillary Clinton reiterated her support of Barack Obama tonight. As she's done before, she went through the key issues to show that Obama's positions are very close to her positions.

Since Clinton dropped out of the primary, Democrats and pundits have argued that Clinton supporters would surely rally behind Barack Obama since he agrees with Hillary on the issues much more than McCain. Some have even argued that former Hillary supporters that now support McCain must be racist. But that begs the question: If Hillary's positions were so close to Baracks, why were they both running? Why didn't Hillary drop out when it was clear she was going to lose, if Barack would have been just as good?

They might have been close on the issues, but the issues are not all the matters. Experience also matters. Indeed, Clinton made that a focus of her primary campaign, pointing out how much more experienced she was than Obama. The Republican National Committee has now come out with an ad using her own words against Obama:



In response, Hillary wisecracked, "I do not approve that message."

What part doesn't she approve of? She did say it, didn't she? It is this type of two-faced politics that this blog was created to spotlight. Political pundits might give her a free pass, but you won't get one from me for saying something just because it was politically advantageous at the time. If you said Obama was not experienced enough for the job, stand by it or you're part of what's wrong with this country.

And shame on the media for making excuses for her ("Oh, she ran a tough primary campaign? That's politics."). A lie is a lie.

Wrong Rating: 2 out or 4 (misrepresentation)

McCain: "Obama's Freudian Slip Makes Him Unqualified"

McCain issued this statement a few days ago:

"Barack Obama sounded as though he turned over the top spot on the ticket today to his new mentor, when he introduced Joe Biden as the next president. The reality is that nothing has changed since Joe Biden first made his assessment that Barack Obama is not ready to lead. He wasn't ready then and he isn't ready now."

Background On Barack Obama's Freudian Slip

Barack Obama: "So let me introduce to you the next President -- the next Vice President of United States of America, Joe Biden!" (Barack Obama, Remarks, Springfield, IL, 8/23/08)

Ok, so I get the argument that perhaps he picked Joe Biden to be his "mentor," but relating that to this "freudian slip" seems like a stretch to me. I've been critical of the "misspeaking" defense before, but come on, everyone slips up now and then.

Wrong Rating: 1 out of 4 (spin)