McCain VP more experienced than Obama

I woke up today and learned that Sarah Palin is McCains VP pick. The first thing I heard about her was that she is younger than Obama and less experienced. But she is not less experienced.

I'll get to that in a moment.

I was rather stunned considering I expected McCain to be more conservative with his pick and go with Romney or Pawlenty.

Khaki Elephant first brought my attention to her a few days ago as he wrote why he thought she would be the best pick for VP. I'm very impressed, Khaki. You called it first.

She does not bring in a swing state. However, I believe it was former Clinton Adviser Dick Morris who said in a recent column that a VP should not be picked with the intent of winning a state, because this usually does not happen.

A VP should be chosen because of the expertise he (or she) brings to the ticket. Gosh, I wish I could find that article, because I'd love to read it again.

A good example, though, is Dick Cheney, who did not bring in any states, and Bush won with him on the ticket twice. But Bush was also able to tap into Cheney's military expertise. As, in this case, McCain will be able to tap into Palin's economic expertise, or Obama to tap into Biden's defense experience, which is a lot less than McCains.

Palin is a gift to conservatives, who will be ecstatic that McCain picked a socially conservative to be on his ticket. And, not only that, but one who is adamantly pro-life and pro-2nd amendment and guns.

Likewise, Palin is from a small town, is not a part of the Washington establishment (Alaska is as far away as you can get from Washington), is the only non-member of the senate on either ticket, and, well, she has little Washington experience.

Still, she has more experience than Obama. She has little Washington experience, but she has a plethora of executive experience. She has little military experience, but neither does Obama. Thus, she has more experience and is more qualified to be president than Obama.

Obama's spokesperson Adrianne Marshis is already on the trail bashing this pick: "Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency."

Obama has zero foreign policy experience and he heads the ticket. Not only that, but Obama says he's the voice of small town people, but Sarah Palin is a small town person. She is one of us. She is a normal person on the ticket.

She said, "Governor Palin shares McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil, and continuing George Bush's failed economic policies. That's not the change we need. It's just more of the same."

That's the attack republicans want, because there are a lot of people who think it's a crime to kill an unborn baby, and they will all vote for McCain. And McCain has gained a lot of ground in the polls in recent months because of his willingness to do what it takes (drilling for oil now) to make us independent from foreign oil.

Sarah Palin's speech today was not about promises, it was about her achievments and qualifications.

In that speech, she said:

"I was then appointed ethics commissioner and chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. And when I found corruption there, I fought it hard and I held the offenders to account.Along with fellow reformers in the great state of Alaska, as governor, I stood up to the old politics as usual -- to the special interests, to the lobbyists, the big oil companies, and the good old boy network. When oil and gas prices went up so dramatically and the state revenues followed with that increase, I sent a large share of that revenue directly back to the people of Alaska -- and we are now embarking on a $40 billion natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence."

She did this stuff already. She has the experience that Obama lacks. He cannot attack her for this. Well, he can, but he will be called on it if he does. He will be made the fool. Palin, in my opinion, is the Maverick pick.

As for her executive experience, she said, "In serving as the team mom and coaching some basketball on the side, I got involved in the PTA and then was elected to the city council and then elected mayor of my hometown where my agenda was to stop wasteful spending and cut property taxes and put the people first."

She is an outsider in her own party -- like McCain. She is a Maverick. She is a "suburban mom who took on her own party,"according to ft.com.

Not only that, she is a conservative. She is a people person. She is clean. She is young, vibrant, and great looking. She is smart.

Palin has no past associations that Obama will be able to hang over her head. She has no associations with known terrorists like William Ayers. There are no people in her past that she doesn't want you to hear from the way Obama has Reverend Wright and Ayers among others hanging over his head.

She may not be perfect. She was involved in a controversy. According to ft.com, "A state investigation is probing allegations that Ms Palin fired Alaska’s public safety commissioner because he did not fire her former brother-in-law, a state trooper engaged in a child custody fight with Ms Palin’s sister."

But otherwise she is clean, smart and impressive. She also has no past associations with known terrorists.

Biden might be a great debater. He might, you say, eat her alive. Then again, he also has to be careful as not to offend her and the women who will now be taking her very seriously. And the men who will be taking her very seriously (I'm sure they will. She is a pretty sight there next to the old Maverick McCain).

Obama cannot say she is the same old Republican.

Palin said in speech, "I signed major ethics reforms and I appointed both Democrats and independents to serve in my administration, and I championed reform, toned the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. In fact, I told Congress, "'thanks, but no thanks,' on that Bridge to Nowhere. If our state wanted a bridge, I said we'd build it ourselves."

Joe Lieberman would have maybe drawn in some independents and democrats, but Palin not only strengthens the base and gets them fired up in a way Lieberman never would. Romney had four houses, Palin has one (as far as I know).

This pick pulls down the sails of the Obama ship that was set out last night.

By the way, did you guys see the way some people were actually crying during his speech? I mean, some people like to call Obama the Messiah, and the way people were crying, and with Obama being hailed in front of so many people, it almost gave the impression that he IS being worshipped as the Messiah.

Well, no Messiah in Palin. She is one of us. She is a small town person like this small town humble RT. Only, she has the experience I do not.

She has five children, one on her way to Iraq and another with down syndrome. That should compare here with Obama, who has three children of his own. Actually, it gives her more experience there too.

Yes, she has the experience that Obama does not. She not only will make a good VP, she will make a good president if that door ever opens.

I'm happy with this pick. Thanks Khaki for recommending Palin to McCain. I give you credit.

(For an excellent analysis of this pick you should check out 7-10: Palmer on Politics. He provides some excellent reasons why she was a "high risk high reward" pick by McCain.)