No Experience?

OK, so now we have the expected criticism of Sarah Palin, John McCain's pic for VP. At the top of the list is the concern about whether she could handle the job of U.S. President if John McCain became disabled. Since there are similar concerns about Barrack Obama and there is little chance that he would not be able to serve a full term as President if elected, a comparison of experience and accomplishments between the two should be informative.

Therefore, I have listed below the accomplishments of Sarah Palin during her short time in politics:

• In January of 2004, she resigned as head of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission after complaining to the Governor and the state Attorney General about ethical violations by another commissioner who was then also the Republican state chairman. Although Palin was barred by state law from speaking out publicly, that commissioner agreed to pay a $12,000 fine for breaking state ethics laws.
• In 2005, she joined with Eric Croft, a Democrat, in lodging an ethics complaint against then Attorney General Gregg Renkes. The Attorney General resigned a few weeks later.
• She won the primary for Governor in a three-way race in 2006 in a landslide with 51% of the vote. She then defeated former Democratic Governor Tony Knowles in the general election, 49% to 41%, and has since had an approval rating of between 65% and 90%, higher than any other Governor in the country.
• This past spring, she used her line-item veto to cut $268 million from state spending bills.
• She saved Federal taxpayers $400 million by opposing the infamous "bridge to nowhere" and redirected the money to more appropriate infrastructure programs.
• She replaced entire Alaska Board of Agriculture and Conservation because of conflict of interest.
• She passed a landmark ethics reform bill.
• She also passed a tax increase on oil company profits and as a result of state wind-fall profits from this tax, will soon deliver $1,200 to every Alaska resident.
• She sold the private jet that the former Governor purchased for $1.2.
• As Commander in Chief of the Alaskan National Guard, in July, 2007, she visited Alaskan troops serving in a support role in Kuwait and others being treated at the American military hospital in Landsduhl, Germany.

My challenge is for readers of the blog to include Obama's accomplishments in their comments so readers can compare the accomplishments of both candidates.

The Audacity of Audacity

Less than 24 hours after Barrack Obama appealed for less personal criticism of individuals and more attention to important issues, his campaign saw fit to criticize the experience of John McCain's VP running mate Sarah Palin. And within days of directing speech after speech from Bill Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Joe Biden, and others to the concept that judgement was more important than experience, the Obama campaign has chosen to highlight experience in their first attack on Governor Palin before she even made her first appearance as Senator McCain's running mate. That does indeed qualify as audacity squared.

By selecting Governor Sarah Palin, Senator McCain has added executive experience to his ticket. He of course adds military experience and a long career in the U.S. Senate.

In comparison, neither Senator Obama or Biden have any executive experience or military background.

Perhaps the Obama campaign should pay attention to their standard bearer, tone down the audacity, and focus their vitriol on the important issues that America faces?