McCain's Tricky Calculation

By their argument, Sarah has more executive experience than John McCain. Why don't they just flip the ticket? Palin/McCain '08!

I fully support women in government and would be fine with a woman as president. But the thought that this woman of so little experience could become our PRESIDENT on day two scares me. How prepared is she stand toe-to-toe with Russia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, China? I'm sorry but being mayor of a small town doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Her success as a governor in a relatively-quiet state hasn't even been measured by a re-election yet. Obama has been dealing with America's problems - national and international - for years in the Senate and that trumps being governor of Alaska (my apologies, Alaska).

I wouldn't have been too distressed if McCain became president, but ever since he hired Rove's gang, my respect for him has fallen. And Sarah Palin is simply a stunt for his campaign - not for the best interest of our country. What ever happened to those grandiose statements that he wasn't just out to win at all costs?

Why should anyone vote for a person who is supposed to be a foreign policy giant, but does not know the difference between Sunni and Shia Muslims after a 6 year war and multiple trips to Iraq. How can you win a war if you don't know your enemy? I'm suprised the Obama campaign did not capitalize on that mistake he made on live TV. McCain had to be corrected by Joe Liberman. They stress that they are winning the war in Iraq since the "surge". However, the purpose of the surge was for political reconciliation, which isn't happening (or very slow at the least). The Iraqi congress even took a 3 month recess during the surge when our young men and women were giving their lives. If the purpose of the surge was to promote reconciliation, then it failed. You can't defeat extremism and terrorism with the military and Obama understands that. When the military is gone, the extremists will come back. It's a waste of time and money to remain there like they want to do. This war is partially responsible for devistating our economy by increasing gas prices (we use vast amounts of gas in our military vehicles). Ending the war will help our economy while staying will deplete and bog down our military and our economy. Another issue- drilling for oil. I have seen estimates that we only have 3% of the world's oil reserves. Drilling for oil will not make a dent in oil prices, nor will it end our dependence on foreign oil. What happens when our oil runs out? Contrary to what McCain is saying, the hurricanes Rita and Katrina did significant damage to the pipelines and drilling will have environmental consequences. On issue after issue, Obama's judgement is better than McCain's.

Hey, Jon...will you give this same scrutiny to Obama? I'll answer it...NO! Obama gets a pass as always..Hey Jonny...does the word "hypocrite" mean anything to you?

Oh for heavens sake. I'm not worried about Sarah Palin's lack of Washington experience. I'm worried about Obama's complete lack of experience anywhere because he is not a heartbeak away, he would be IT, POTUS. And the ONLY thing he has actually done is run for the office of POTUS. Even he has the audacity to say so. So while all you dems are hoping that McCain will die, you should be looking at the appalling lack of experience of the Democratic candidate that the Chicago machine has produced. And a heatrbeat away from that empty suit is a drunk. Just great.

<i>It will be up to the press and public to raise enough of a stink about this, that Palin is forced to submit to real interviews with real questions that show whether her real-life experience is any preparation for assuming high office.</i>

And when you do that with Obama to the exten you propose to do that to Palin, THEN you'll have some credibility. Until then, you're in the tank for Obama.

But then again, you work for Newsweek, so I repeat myself.

The whole Palin issue has made me very sad as an American. For Republicans to speak so highly of her "experience", and to suggest that her credentials are greater than that of Obama's is just ridiculous and deceitful. I wonder how some of these folks would respond if they worked in an office for many years, and someone with the relative experience of a Palin came along and took their job, or took over their company. How they would feel if they owned a lot of stock in a large company, and someone who had worked in the mail room for a year and a half suddenly was appointed CEO. Business leaders, and leaders in many other walks of life generally have to serve for years and years in roles of increasing complexity before they are put in top roles. But, for a job as important as VP of the USA, biased folks seem to turn a blind eye. This is scary and irresponsible. Palin garnered about as many votes (around 600) to become mayor of Wassilla as my daughter did when she became a student ambassador at her high school. Yet she's deemed to be ready for one of the most demanding jobs in the world. Obama, on the other hand, is a worldy and brilliant man with the academic and professional credentials to be taken seriously. He's lived abroad, interfaced with world leaders, served in the Senate and worked on bi-partisan legislation, and devoted himself to public service from the time he graduated from law school. I respect Republicans who dislike him for his politics; that is a fair reason to turn away from him. But to discredit him by suggesting that a self professed "hockey mom" from a small town in a remote state, with a very limited world view, and who recently wondered aloud just what the roles of the VP were, is somehow "more ready" to lead this country is ludicrous. And a lie. Said enough times, though, I suppose it sounds like the truth to the faithful.

I think the argument being made that Obama is no more qualified to make foreign policy decisions than Palin leveled by Alter and others in the media is a false one. I seem to remember this same argument was used in 2000 when George W. didn't know who Musharraf was. It is the same charge leveled by Reps against Clinton in 92, Carter in 76, and on and on. In the Democratic primaries, Hillary tried unsuccessfully to attack Obama's lack of experience with her 3 a.m. phone call ads. To my knowledge lack of foreign policy experience has not factored into a Presidential election in my lifetime. So why does the media continue to attack certain candidates "lack of foreign policy experience" when this is apparently not a critical determining factor for voters when selecting their next president? Palin will have advisors to cram her with foreign policy over the coming days just like Obama has had for the last two years. I think voters are savvy enough to appreciate that foreign policy is ofter fluid and what a candidate says he or she may do in a given situation is often quite different than what they actually do once elected. While some voters may select a candidate based on a single issue stance, most will select someone whom they feel will best represent their interests as a whole and that of the country.

Your argument is ridiculous, Obama's experience on foreign policy doesn't extend beyond the podium. He has done absolutely nothing internationally and his domestic experience is equally thin. Why do you think a few town hall meetings qualifies him to lead?? Palin at least has executive experience, as mayor and governor, by count, that's a total of 10yrs so far... Obama on the other hand has been a senator since 05 and started campaigning for presidency in 06, that certainly shows a lot of audacity and hope...

The McCain campaign is so full of contradictions and hypocrisy that it makes my head hurt. Talk about flip-flopping. This beats any flip-flop I've seen so far. The Republicans, I must admit, are geniuses at the spin...you would have thought that they were all sired by Karl Rove. Experience is indeed important but it's how you use your experience, what you've learned from it that's more important.. You would've thought McCain learned from bush"s go-it-alone, hawkish behavior, a stain on American politics, but has he? Yes, he has...one day. No, he hasn't...the next day. Yes, no, yes, no. And Sarah Palin. She is one big joke.

"she has served only 20 months as governor of a state half the size of Brooklyn," I think this reporter needs a lesson in geography, Alaska is the largest state in the U.S. I know it has a small population, but say that instead of an obvious lie.
Secondly, even though I haven't decided who I'm going to vote for, it still annoys me that so many Newsweek writers are so obviously biased for Obama. This article rips Palin's experience as a leader then cites how Obama is so much more experienced because he's run a campain for the Presidency? Sure, you can question the quality and depth of her experience but citing Obama's campain as reason why he's ready to lead over her? Come on.