GOP Lowers the Bar For What Counts as Foreign Policy Experience
I learned tonight from the GOP convention that being the mayor of a town the size of Sheboygan Falls is enough executive experience to get you into the White House. Barack Obama and Joe Biden were never the mayors of a town the size of Sheboygan Falls and that makes them unqualified.
I also learned that foreign policy experience can come in many forms. Like being the Governor of a State that borders a foreign Country such as Russia.
In that case, the Governors of Washington, Idaho, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Texas all have enough foreign policy experience to be President according to what I heard on TV tonight from several GOP strategists.
Isn’t it amazing that 30% of Governors in American meet the new benchmarks - set by the GOP - of foreign policy experience by simple proximity? …although I’m not sure if any of them were also the mayors of towns the size of a small liberal arts college, so that might be a negative.
Of course, the Alaskan Governor has never been to Russia. She did stop to refuel her plane once in Ireland however, and that My Friends, is experience you can count on.
Finally, Republicans are just excited, excited I tell you, to have Sarah Palin as their VP candidate. Excitedly excited!
September 2, 2008 10:58 pm 
I live in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Milwaukee, WI with my wife Jen, our daughter Emerson, and son Carter.
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By Sean, September 3, 2008 @ 9:27 am
Remember Dan, Palin is the Vice Presidential candidate…..Barak and his “experience” is running for PRESIDENT. Look at the top of the ticket when it comes to experience (both foreign and domestic) and discuss those qualifications before you even start to discuss the VP’s qualifications. If you can tell me without wincing that Barak Obama is more QUALIFIED than McCain than start in on Sarah Palin.
By Sean, September 3, 2008 @ 9:53 am
I almost forgot. You do know that she’s the governor of a state, not just the mayor of a town the size of Sheboygan Falls right?
Now looking at Barak’s foreign policy “experience” we see a man that took a whirlwind tour of the world, pretending to be presidential; and that’s what you want me to believe is foreign policy experience? My friends that is foreign policy expertise you can count on!!!!
By Smitty, September 3, 2008 @ 4:04 pm
Dan,
Your sarcastic assessment of Sarah Palin’s foreign policy experience only works if Barak Obama actually has some experience of his own. Unfortunately, he has none, unless you count a couple of years growing up in Indonesia—or perhaps you think Chicago is a foreign country. (I can be sarcastic too.)
Too, Barak is running for President while Sarah is the candidate for Vice-President. Big difference.
If you’re talking foireign policy experience, try matching Obama with McCain, see who comes out ahead.
By capper, September 3, 2008 @ 10:13 pm
No, Barak has no foreign experience. He only has lived in different countries, has visited many more.
A woman whose idea of foreign culture is the mold growing on her Swiss cheese is so much better at dealing with other countries.
By Daniel Cody, September 3, 2008 @ 11:04 pm
So in one set of comments, I’m hearing that we shouldn’t be comparing Palin and Obama and in this one I’m hearing that we should be comparing Palin and Obama.
Gotcha.
As for foreign policy experience, there’s always the Foreign Relations committee of the U.S. Senate. The same one Sen. McCain touts as part of his “foreign experience” that didn’t include serving in the military.
If we’re going to play that game, how much foreign policy experience did our current President have when he took office. That probably wasn’t a barrier for you then.
But keep interchanging what matters in terms of experience for you at will.
By Sean, September 5, 2008 @ 3:42 pm
I never said we should be comparing Palin to Obama and anyone that does is wrong. The problem is I’ve heard a lot of Obama supporters bringing up her “inexperience” which is precious considering Obama himself. If the Democrats want to compare a presidential candidate with the opponents vice presidential candidate go right ahead, but the person people will be voting for in November will be either John McCain or Barak Obama, all the other stuff is bunk!
As for sarcastically commenting on the comments of one person WANTING to compare Palin to Obama and my comments to the contrary, it’s interesting that many in the Democratic party have went out of their way to say that Obama was someone that doesn’t have a lot of Washington “experience” therefore he would be a better candidate than one that has; now they’re saying Palin’s perceived inexperience is a BAD thing. Gotcha. Like I said several times, Palin is the VP candidate; Barak is the PRESIDENTIAL candidate…..Huge difference.
Foreign relations committee?!?!? That’s Barak Obama’s experience as it relates to foreign policy? Seriously? John McCain (although from what I can tell is not, nor ever was on the Foreign Relations committee) has been a senator for quite awhile, doing research, evaluating foreign policies, and voting on those policies for 26 years. Has he ever been the Secretary of State? No, but I think 26 years of dealing with foreign aid, wars, etc makes him galactically more qualified than Barak Obama who has been in the Senate for a WHOLE 2+ YEARS. I mean if all it takes to have foreign experience is to sit on that committee, Russ Feingold should be our next Secretary of State (Just kidding). Oh, and you shouldn’t “discount” serving in the military as foreign experience, especially when it comes to John McCain.
As for Bush back in 2000, it certainly was a discussion point, and a legitimate one. At the time though, it wasn’t nearly as important as it is now considering how things have changed since 9/11, not to mention the increase in the global economy, etc. But you just keep voting for the people that have little to no experience in ANYTHING but giving great speeches.
By Marybeth, September 5, 2008 @ 7:55 pm
Bottom line imho: There is too much at stake if McCain unfortunately dies while he is in office as President. Palin as President scares the beejeezus outta me.
By Daniel Cody, September 5, 2008 @ 11:24 pm
Sen. Obama was elected to the Senate in 2004 Sean, not 2006.
By Sean, September 8, 2008 @ 8:32 am
My mistake. Three years (took office in ‘05 and it’s the third quarter of ‘08). That one extra year, especially in comparison to 26, is not going to change my point of who is more qualified…..