However, John McCain has not presented any compelling vision for the future, he has not deviated from failed Bush economic policies, he has doubled down on divisive politics, and his ground operation is underwhelming. Palin mocks and disdains Obama. These are not admirable facts about McCain.

He has to run on the past eight years of lies, corruption, hypocrisy, and incompetent government. He has treated his campaign like a poker game. I don’t want my future or my kids’ future treated like a game!

You know, Obama has asked people to stand up and take responsibility for themselves and their communities. All I heard from the Republicans was snide derision. Again no vision.

Barack Obama appears more Presidential by the day and will receive my vote, and I will work to make him President.

I was watching this dynamic all day on the cable news shows and busting out laughing everytime. The Obama supporters just don’t get it.

I don’t know if McCain could possibly have anticipated that this is how the pick would play out, but if he did – he’s a friggin’ political genius.

So, how many people has Obama been accountable to in an executive position?

This fairytale will not come true, believe me…

Yes, she is a heartbeat from POTUS…
That’s particularly true when you consider the health status of John McCain…

How will she handle Putin?

Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Moscow i suppose…

Sorry but it’s unbelievable anybody can even THINK of voting this couple into the White house…

A state senator might represent more people than a mayor, but as mayor you are accountable for what happens in your city. As a state senator you can blame everything on someone else.

Again, I think this comes down to individual opinions on what kinds of experiences you want a potential vice president to have. Again, personally I’d rather have a mayor and governor that a state and national senator. If you disagree, so be it.

And also, as I stated before, it’s more than just the number of years. It’s the accomplishments. Palin has proven a lot more about herself in her limited time in government experience than Obama has in his limited time.

There is nothing in Obama’s resume that qualifies him any more than Palin to be President, except his successful primary campaign for President. As a result of that campaign, a majority of Democrats got to see him in action and decided he is qualified despite his minimal resume. I’m good with that. That is what elections are for. Similarly Palin now has the same opportunity to be tested in a campaign with her comparably weak resume. The voters will decide if she is qualified, just like Obama.

And like I stated before – there is nothing I like better than debating who has a less weak resume to be President between Palin and Obama. Just the fact that it is debatable, means Obama loses.

OH – and Palin is running for VP, while Obama is running for President.

So, if you all think Obama’s 10.5 years of legislative experience (7 in state senate, 3.5 in the national senate) is somehow less valuable, you’re going to actually give some detailed reasoning as to why and how it’s less valuable.

In any case, I agree that their experience, by the numbers, is somewhat comparable. What I disagreed with was your implication that Obama was way ahead of her in terms of experience.

But, beyond the numbers, I agree with Marco that, in terms of accomplishments, it seems to me Palin is ahead of Obama. Again, just my opinion.

Also let’s not forget that she is the #2, not the #1. Granted, the #2 can become the #1, but there is a difference, which many pundits are ignoring. I think if you take a relatively inexperienced person who has shown strength of character, and you let her campaign and serve under someone as experienced as McCain, it won’t take long for her to gain the national and international perspective that she would need to be a good president. Obama’s ticket, on the other hand, is upside down. So even if the experience of Palin and Obama are somewhat equal, I still give the edge to McCain/Palin on the experience issue.

More here.

Also, re: Dukakis. He imploded politically. Didn’t mean to imply he was inexperienced. I meant to imply that Obama is less likely to implode because he seems more inclide to fight back.

Any doubts out there? Please take some time to watch Palin’s CNBC interview that aired yesterday. She is far more in command of the facts as they relate to the most important issue of our time (energy) than Obama is on anything (again sans teleprompter).

http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/elections/story/8347904p-8243554c.html
Palin, on creationism in public schools: “Teach both. You know, don’t be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important, and it’s so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both.”

I’m a Christian, and from time to time I get to tell non-Christians about my faith. The person I’m talking to usually knows that not all Christians believe in a young Earth, the Rapture, and the Bible according to Darby, but they often think they’re supposed to, the way Catholics are supposed to avoid birth control and often don’t. The idea that it might be possible to be a completely Bible-believing Christian without believing that the Earth is six thousand years old is usually a new one, and I’m getting very tired of having to explain that.

How is that? I’ve heard that in other places as well and I honestly don’t get it. As far as major political positions, Obama was a senator for about 3 years before running for president . Palin has been governor for about a year and half. Frankly, I think being a governor is much better preparation than being a senator, since it is executive experience. So how does that make Obama the seasoned veteran?

I just heard Chuck Todd on MSNBC with a good analysis. He said McCain understands that this year in a Change vs. Experience election – Change wins. Clinton learned that. Good to see that McCain learned it too.

It was not a big risk because McCain was sitting on a losing hand. If Palin screws it up, it didn’t change the outcome. But sometimes you do pull that inside straight. And sometimes you learn that your opponent was just bluffing after all. It was a very good bet.

BTW- Interesting to note that 9 of the last 11 posts here at the Donk are all about Palin. And you have to go back 15 posts and midnight last night to find a post about the history making, biggest, most spectacular, best attended, most watched nomination speech in the history of the country. Anyone remember that speech? I was wondering, because nobody is talking about it today.

We’re all quite aware that McCain is no Spring chicken. His VP selection should be someone people should reasonably agree could run the country.

Sarah “who” isn’t going to inspire such confidence. Not in a couple months.

It was a poor choice for McCain to pick an unknown. Condi would have been a better choice.

My reaction mirrored yours (only from my left of center point of view). At first I thought this was a good pick for him and afraid this really could be a game changer. Then after I watched their announcement I felt much better. McCain looked more awkward than ever. And older. The Obama ticket now looks totally seasoned and ready to lead. I think she highlights McCain’s weaknesses rather than shores them up. We’ll see, but this could change the game in a bad way for McCain.