The experience argument. No doubt a replay, but help.

[abumbyanyothername]

Wife would like a succinct and purely positive (Obama's experience only, no comparisons, no attacks) response to the "too inexperienced" argument. 8-10 points should be more than enough.

[bluethruandthru]

1. No one has "experience" being the President unless it's

an incumbent. I don't care if a dumbass sat in a senate seat that was handed to him on a silver beer coaster for 30 years. That doesn't qualify him to be president.
I want a President who is smart and thoughtful.
I know that's not what you were asking for...sorry! :)

[Thrill]

2. Everyone who tells me that. I ask one simple question

What experience does McCain have? Just being in Washington longer? I don't get. For all his experience, he has pushed an unnecessary war and continues to.

[FrenchieCat]

3. Here.....

---------------------------------------
CUT AND PASTE TO EDUCATE
---------------------------------------
RACK OBAMA'S EXPERIENCE:

*Graduated from Columbia University - Political Science

*3 years as Community Organizer

*First black President elected of Harvard Law Review
(other Presidents of the Harvard Law Review include Supreme Court Justices Edward Sanford, Felix Frankfurter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Antonin Scalia, Stephen Breyer and Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Law_Review )

*Graduated from Harvard Law School, Magna Cume Laude

*1 year running project Vote

*4 years as Civil Rights Attorney

*12 years as Constitutional Law professor

*8 years as State Senator for district of over 750,000 people

*Insightful enough to oppose a dumb war publicly

*3.5 years in US Senate representing a state of 13 million

*Chairman of Senate's Health and Human Services committee

*Served on Foreign Affairs, Environment & Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees

*Running for President of the United States - Raised and managed a 490 Million dollars budget, 2,500 employees plus 1 million volunteers, and garneted 18+ million votes to date-- broken all and any record to be broken, including most votes received in a Presidential Primary, largest political gathering during a primary, most money raised in a contest, largest number of small donors, first to refuse money from lobbyist, longest primary ran in the most states, largest audience to witness live a convention acceptance speech.

*Sponsored 136 bills,
Obama has sponsored 136 bills since Jan 4, 2005, 2 have become law. This figure does not include bills to which Obama contributed very substantially as cosponsor, such as the Coburn-Obama Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 or the Lugar-NunnCooperative Proliferation Detection, Interdiction Assistance, and Conventional Threat Reduction Act of 2006.
www.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?id=4 00629

Amendments, that have all passed:

S.Amdt.159 to S.Con.Res.18 - To prevent and, if necessary, respond to an international outbreak of the avian flu.

S.Amdt.390 to H.R.1268 - To provide meal and telephone benefits for members of the Armed Forces who are recuperating from injuries incurred on active duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom.

S.Amdt.670 to H.R.3 - To provide for Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV) refueling capability at new and existing refueling station facilities to promote energy security and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

S.Amdt.808 to H.R.6 - To establish a program to develop Fischer-Tropsch transportation fuels from Illinois basin coal.

S.Amdt.851 to H.R.6 - To require the Secretary to establish a Joint Flexible Fuel/Hybrid Vehicle Commercialization Initiative, and for other purposes.

S.Amdt.1362 to S.1042 - To require a report on the Department of Defense Composite Health Care System II.

S.Amdt.1453 to S.1402 - To ensure the protection of military and civilian personnel in the Department of Defense from an influenza pandemic, including an avian influenza pandemic.

S.Amdt.2301 to H.R.3010 - To increase funds to the Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity Program and to the Office of Special Education Programs of the Department of Education for the purposes of expanding positive behavioral interventions and supports.

S.Amdt.2605 to S.2020 - Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Federal Emergency Management Agency should immediately address issues relating to no-bid contracting.

S.Amdt.2930 to S.2349 - To clarify that availability of legislation does not include nonbusiness days.
S.Amdt.3144 to S.Con.Res.83 - To provide a $40 million increase in FY 2007 for the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program and to improve job services for hard-to-place veterans

S. Amdt 41 to S. 1 To require lobbyists to disclose the candidates, leadership PACs, or political parties for whom they collect or arrange contributions, and the aggregate amount of the contributions collected or arranged.


Barack has Written a total of 890 Bills and Co-sponsored Another 1096 since he started serving in the U.S. Senate.

OBAMA Senate bills sponsored :
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/thomas
http://www.statesurge.com/members/923

[abumbyanyothername]

10. THANKS!!!

Just exactly what I needed.

[nipinbud]

12. Sarah Palin has an equally impressive resume

Not

[Sadie4629]

13. A better answer might be--

--that he meets the Constitutional requirements to be President.

Because:

1--An undergrad degree from anywhere doesn't make one qualified to be prez.

2--"Community organizer??" Big deal.

3--First black President elected of Harvard Law Review. Which part of that makes him qualified to be President? Being Black? Lots of people have been head of Harvard Law Review. Most of them have never become president.

4--Graduating from a law school, no matter which one, no matter what honors, doesn't make one qualified to be president.

5--WTH is Project Vote, and why does running it make him qualified to be president?

6--Lots of people have been Civil Rights Attorneys. And most have never been president.

7--Bzzzzzzzzzzzzt. He wasn't a professor. Try again.

8--Lots of people have been state legislators. Doesn't make them qualified to be pres.

9--Of course, as a STATE legislator, he never got a chance to vote against the war. That doesn't exactly make it a deal-maker.

10--3 1/2 WHOLE years as a Senator!!! Be still, my beating heart. If being a Senator made one qualified to be president, then wouldn't McCain's 57 years (or whatever it is) make him even more qualified?

11--Doesn't everyone in the Senate serve on some committees? Don't most hold chairmanships? What about Obama's committees and chairmanships makes him uniquely qualified to be president?

12--Etc., etc. etc.

[FrenchieCat]

14. Wrong!

1--An undergrad degree from anywhere doesn't make one qualified to be prez.
Not everyone gets into Columbia.

2--"Community organizer??" Big deal. Not everyone turns down lucrative offers to go work for nothing, building up poor communities.


3--First black President elected of Harvard Law Review. Which part of that makes him qualified to be President? Being Black? Lots of people have been head of Harvard Law Review. Most of them have never become president. Position gave him Executive Experience. He could have chosen to clerk for the SCOTUS afterwards, like most of them have instead of being altruistic (which is why so many Supreme Court Justices were Presidents of the Harvard Law Review)


4--Graduating from a law school, no matter which one, no matter what honors, doesn't make one qualified to be president.graduating Magna Cume Laude from Harvard means something where I'm from, cause not everyone can do it


5--WTH is Project Vote, and why does running it make him qualified to be president? Project Vote was again executive experience in handling a large group of folks, and his efforts ended up electing a Democratic Senator from the State of Illinois


6--Lots of people have been Civil Rights Attorneys. And most have never been president.Civil Rights attorneys are usually paid very little, as their work is altruistic --unlike Corporate attorneys


7--Bzzzzzzzzzzzzt. He wasn't a professor. Try again. Yes, he was a professor. It is you who is wrong http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/28/university-of-chicago-ob_n_93896.html


8--Lots of people have been state legislators. Doesn't make them qualified to be pres. Obama passed one of the largest Ethics reform law in the Illinois State Legislature as well as other important laws. So Did Abraham Lincoln


9--Of course, as a STATE legislator, he never got a chance to vote against the war. That doesn't exactly make it a deal-maker. A vote is not what makes one anything, it is what one says and does that makes the difference. So, his opposition to the war was not about a vote, it was about a stance


10--3 1/2 WHOLE years as a Senator!!! Be still, my beating heart. If being a Senator made one qualified to be president, then wouldn't McCain's 57 years (or whatever it is) make him even more qualified? No one said that McCain was not qualified. But yes, being elected from a state of 13 million people is quite a good start to moving up in the world of politics. To think otherwise is silly.


11--Doesn't everyone in the Senate serve on some committees? Don't most hold chairmanships? What about Obama's committees and chairmanships makes him uniquely qualified to be president? Nope, not everyone who serves in the Senate holds a chairmenship. Not everyone passes bills. etc....


12--Etc., etc. etc. neener, neener, neener

[Sadie4629]

18. Whatever.

1--An undergrad degree from anywhere doesn't make one qualified to be prez.
Not everyone gets into Columbia.
Not everyone, but lots of people do. Besides, aren't his Columbia years quite a mystery? He didn't mention much about what happened there in either of his two autobiographies. Wonder why . . .

2--"Community organizer??" Big deal. Not everyone turns down lucrative offers to go work for nothing, building up poor communities.
Wow. Turning down lucrative job offers makes one qualified to be president? I didn't know.


3--First black President elected of Harvard Law Review. Which part of that makes him qualified to be President? Being Black? Lots of people have been head of Harvard Law Review. Most of them have never become president.
Position gave him Executive Experience. He could have chosen to clerk for the SCOTUS afterwards, like most of them have instead of being altruistic (which is why so many Supreme Court Justices were Presidents of the Harvard Law Review)
Executive experience which is NOT on a par with being a governor. (I supported Richardson for exactly that reason.) In all likelihood, he had a relatively small, and mostly cooperative, staff. Totally different from dealing with what a President has to handle.


4--Graduating from a law school, no matter which one, no matter what honors, doesn't make one qualified to be president.graduating Magna Cume Laude from Harvard means something where I'm from, cause not everyone can do it
Not everyone, but lots and lots of people.


5--WTH is Project Vote, and why does running it make him qualified to be president? Project Vote was again executive experience in handling a large group of folks, and his efforts ended up electing a Democratic Senator from the State of Illinois
Very, very minor executive experience. And isn't it rather hard to run as a Democrat in Illinois and lose? Didn't he have some sneaky dealings to get the nomination? (I may be confusing that with his Ill. legislator election.)


6--Lots of people have been Civil Rights Attorneys. And most have never been president.Civil Rights attorneys are usually paid very little, as their work is altruistic --unlike Corporate attorneys
Didn't know that having a low salary makes one qualified to be president. Live and learn.

7--Bzzzzzzzzzzzzt. He wasn't a professor. Try again. Yes, he was a professor. It is you who is wrong http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/28/university-of-...
1--An undergrad degree from anywhere doesn't make one qualified to be prez.
Not everyone gets into Columbia.

2--"Community organizer??" Big deal. Not everyone turns down lucrative offers to go work for nothing, building up poor communities.


3--First black President elected of Harvard Law Review. Which part of that makes him qualified to be President? Being Black? Lots of people have been head of Harvard Law Review. Most of them have never become president. Position gave him Executive Experience. He could have chosen to clerk for the SCOTUS afterwards, like most of them have instead of being altruistic (which is why so many Supreme Court Justices were Presidents of the Harvard Law Review)


4--Graduating from a law school, no matter which one, no matter what honors, doesn't make one qualified to be president.graduating Magna Cume Laude from Harvard means something where I'm from, cause not everyone can do it


5--WTH is Project Vote, and why does running it make him qualified to be president? Project Vote was again executive experience in handling a large group of folks, and his efforts ended up electing a Democratic Senator from the State of Illinois


6--Lots of people have been Civil Rights Attorneys. And most have never been president.Civil Rights attorneys are usually paid very little, as their work is altruistic --unlike Corporate attorneys


7--Bzzzzzzzzzzzzt. He wasn't a professor. Try again. Yes, he was a professor. It is you who is wrong http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/28/university-of-...
1--An undergrad degree from anywhere doesn't make one qualified to be prez.
Not everyone gets into Columbia.

2--"Community organizer??" Big deal. Not everyone turns down lucrative offers to go work for nothing, building up poor communities.


3--First black President elected of Harvard Law Review. Which part of that makes him qualified to be President? Being Black? Lots of people have been head of Harvard Law Review. Most of them have never become president. Position gave him Executive Experience. He could have chosen to clerk for the SCOTUS afterwards, like most of them have instead of being altruistic (which is why so many Supreme Court Justices were Presidents of the Harvard Law Review)


4--Graduating from a law school, no matter which one, no matter what honors, doesn't make one qualified to be president.graduating Magna Cume Laude from Harvard means something where I'm from, cause not everyone can do it


5--WTH is Project Vote, and why does running it make him qualified to be president? Project Vote was again executive experience in handling a large group of folks, and his efforts ended up electing a Democratic Senator from the State of Illinois


6--Lots of people have been Civil Rights Attorneys. And most have never been president.Civil Rights attorneys are usually paid very little, as their work is altruistic --unlike Corporate attorneys


7--Bzzzzzzzzzzzzt. He wasn't a professor. Try again. Yes, he was a professor. It is you who is wrong http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/28/university-of-...
Yeah. Huffpo. Whatever. Most sources list him as a lecturer.


8--Lots of people have been state legislators. Doesn't make them qualified to be pres. Obama passed one of the largest Ethics reform law in the Illinois State Legislature as well as other important laws. So Did Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln? Things have changed a bit in the 150 years since Abe ran.

9--Of course, as a STATE legislator, he never got a chance to vote against the war. That doesn't exactly make it a deal-maker. A vote is not what makes one anything, it is what one says and does that makes the difference. So, his opposition to the war was not about a vote, it was about a stance
A stance that has NEVER been put to the test.


10--3 1/2 WHOLE years as a Senator!!! Be still, my beating heart. If being a Senator made one qualified to be president, then wouldn't McCain's 57 years (or whatever it is) make him even more qualified? No one said that McCain was not qualified. But yes, being elected from a state of 13 million people is quite a good start to moving up in the world of politics. To think otherwise is silly.
Again, Illinois is VERY solidly blue. Once he got the nomination as a Dem, it was virtually assured that he would be elected. To think otherwise is silly.


11--Doesn't everyone in the Senate serve on some committees? Don't most hold chairmanships? What about Obama's committees and chairmanships makes him uniquely qualified to be president? Nope, not everyone who serves in the Senate holds a chairmenship. Not everyone passes bills. etc....
Um, most do.


12--Etc., etc. etc. neener, neener, neener
Nana, nana, boo, boo

Bottom line. I think Obama would eventually be a GREAT candidate--in ten or 15 years. Not now.



8--Lots of people have been state legislators. Doesn't make them qualified to be pres. Obama passed one of the largest Ethics reform law in the Illinois State Legislature as well as other important laws. So Did Abraham Lincoln


9--Of course, as a STATE legislator, he never got a chance to vote against the war. That doesn't exactly make it a deal-maker. A vote is not what makes one anything, it is what one says and does that makes the difference. So, his opposition to the war was not about a vote, it was about a stance


10--3 1/2 WHOLE years as a Senator!!! Be still, my beating heart. If being a Senator made one qualified to be president, then wouldn't McCain's 57 years (or whatever it is) make him even more qualified? No one said that McCain was not qualified. But yes, being elected from a state of 13 million people is quite a good start to moving up in the world of politics. To think otherwise is silly.


11--Doesn't everyone in the Senate serve on some committees? Don't most hold chairmanships? What about Obama's committees and chairmanships makes him uniquely qualified to be president? Nope, not everyone who serves in the Senate holds a chairmenship. Not everyone passes bills. etc....


12--Etc., etc. etc. neener, neener, neener



8--Lots of people have been state legislators. Doesn't make them qualified to be pres. Obama passed one of the largest Ethics reform law in the Illinois State Legislature as well as other important laws. So Did Abraham Lincoln


9--Of course, as a STATE legislator, he never got a chance to vote against the war. That doesn't exactly make it a deal-maker. A vote is not what makes one anything, it is what one says and does that makes the difference. So, his opposition to the war was not about a vote, it was about a stance


10--3 1/2 WHOLE years as a Senator!!! Be still, my beating heart. If being a Senator made one qualified to be president, then wouldn't McCain's 57 years (or whatever it is) make him even more qualified? No one said that McCain was not qualified. But yes, being elected from a state of 13 million people is quite a good start to moving up in the world of politics. To think otherwise is silly.


11--Doesn't everyone in the Senate serve on some committees? Don't most hold chairmanships? What about Obama's committees and chairmanships makes him uniquely qualified to be president? Nope, not everyone who serves in the Senate holds a chairmenship. Not everyone passes bills. etc....


12--Etc., etc. etc. neener, neener, neener

[malik flavors]

16. Well then what in your mind qualifies a person to be president?

becasue I could just as easily go through the list of qualifications of just about anybody and do what you did.

Example: Oh, he/she was governor of 8 years? Big deal anybody can do that if they try hard enough. That doesn't mean he/she is ready to be president.

Oh, he/she met with world leaders? Big whoop, I shook Tony Blair's hand once, does that mean i'm ready to be commander-in-cheif?

etc., etc.

[Sadie4629]

20. History shows--

--that most presidents have been governors. The executive experience is vital. I would also like to see a candidate with some experience (much more than one term) in the Senate and/or the House.

[malik flavors]

25. George Bush was a governor. How's he doing?

Lincoln wasn't. How'd he do?

There are other qualities that can make a great leader or president than whether or not they were a governor.

[Sadie4629]

27. The government is much bigger today

than it was when Lincoln was President. It takes a LOT more executive experience now than it did then.

Most of the presidents elected in the 20th century had been governors--including Clinton and FDR. Don't you think the experience they garnered as governors led to their successes as president?

Bush is in a category by himself . . .

[malik flavors]

30. Being a governor alone doesn't make you a wise choice for the presidency...

Being a governor certainly is great preparation, but Clinton and FDR also had the right policies, vision, knowledge and leadership that the presidency required.

Obama without doubt (imo) has the polciies, vision, knowledge, and leadership necessary. Just becasue he wasn't governor shouldn't disqualify him.

And I think it's worth mentioning that John McCain doesn't have any executive experience either. Neither does Ralph Nader or Bob Barr. So if that's your main complaint, I'm not sure where you you're going to turn to. They're all surrounded by people with executive experience, but none of the nominees have it themselves.

I also just want to add: JFK is a more recent president that didn't have executive experience.

[FrenchieCat]

26. Go write a letter to Abraham Lincoln and JFK and let them know

they just weren't qualified to become president.... I'm sure that they are waiting to hear from you.

[jonestonesusa]

17. Why are you on DU if you do not support Obama?

And not only that, we spent months during primary season going through these same arguments, most of which have obvious responses and many of which were standard Republican/Hillary Clinton disparagements of Obama.

More people need to take time to visit Obama's web site, listen to his speeches and policy positions, and do basic research, _like you would with any other potential presidential candidate_.

I love that people even here on DU can look at Obama's resume and say, Harvard Law Review, no big deal. An awful lot of talent among the posters here is wasted on snarking!

I assume that most of us have seen this article, but it says an awful lot about the cool attitude among a lot of Democrats towards Obama. What people say in public about race is a small minority of what's in their heads and hearts.

FrenchieCat, thanks for your patience. You have more of it than me.

http://news.yahoo.com/page/election-2008-political-pulse-obama-race

[Sadie4629]

24. This is a board for Democrats

I'm a Democrat. I don't have to LOVE our presidential candidate in order to be a Democrat.

The OP asked a question. It's an opinion board. I gave my opinion.

[jonestonesusa]

29. Yes, this is a board for Democrats

and I'm not the moderator. But we are not allowed to undermine the presidential candidate on this board during the GE season. And to repeat the same talking points that have been discussed repeatedly can undermine the nominee.

Of course you do not have to love Obama. I've been very critical myself on this board of some of his votes and stances earlier this summer (his statement after the gun rights Supreme Court decision, warrantless wiretapping, etc). I got called a freeper a couple of times because I was so critical of Obama. In regular election seasons, I don't even call myself a Democrat. I'm a Democrat leaning independent, and I have not always voted for Democrats, though I always do volunteer and financially support candidates on the Democratic side. I strongly support Obama, and I support this discussion board as well for open but fair comments between us.

I objected to some of your points which I find to be snarky and not substantive. I understand that we will not always have consensus on what makes a candidate qualified, but it's a whole different matter to dismiss significant personal accomplishments that were earned by Obama without giving them their due credit. You, like many across the country, may want to see a "conventional" resume as qualifications for leadership. I, like many others, am thoroughly unimpressed with the recent record of those in office who have conventional qualifications. Big gigantic unsolved national and international problems loom before us that the conventional political system has not addressed or addressed poorly, and we clearly need a change.

We can agree to disagree and have an intelligent discussion without resorting to "he wasn't really a professor at the University of Chicago" or "being a civil rights lawyer is no big deal." Those are significant accomplishments that deserve due respect as they would for anyone who achieved them, especially when that person shares core Democratic values of caring about those who lack opportunity in our society, being willing to stand up for peace, being able to reach across the aisle and work with the opposition, etc.

In the end here's what I think: vote for Obama, or do not...it's obviously your choice. But if you're a fair minded person, you ought to take it upon yourself to separate snark from honest criticism and give due credit to his honestly earned accomplishments, even if you don't "love" Obama.

[jonestonesusa]

22. One more thing, Sadie, about the war position...

Since Obama's speaking out about the war was no big deal since he was a state legislator, I hope you set a high bar with high profile opposition to the war yourself, at least participating in public protests that your neighbors and work colleagues were able to observe. After all, as a public official, Obama has a lot to risk anytime he would take a controversial public stance when the outcome of the war is unknown. We citizens probably have less to risk, but we still need guts and courage to testify with our words and bodies against an American military action at its origination.

I hope you stepped up to the plate yourself to publicly oppose this disastrous, illegal, and immoral war at the height of its popularity, since that's the standard you use to judge Obama (and he meets it!).

[BlooInBloo]

23. There's no university here! There's only a bunch of individual bricks!!!!

:rofl:

[BlooInBloo]

21. And that's the end of this thread.

[RooseveltTruman]

4. Obama

Obama was a community organizer, helping the most down-trodden in Chicago's Southside.

He was a state legislator from 1997-2005. His biggest legislative accomplishments include:
-Bringing together prosecutors, police and the ACLU on a crime bill that called for the videotaping of police interrogations. This both increased the number of convictions landed as well as decreased the number of police beatings. It's now the standard for many areas in the country.
-He also oversaw reform of the state's death penalty laws, to ensure that only the guilty were convicted

He's been in the U.S. Senate since 2005. He teamed with Russ Feingold to pass some of the toughest ethics reforms since Watergate, he teamed with Dick Lugar to get a bill passed that would secure loose nukes in ex-Soviet states, and teamed with Tom Coburn to get the Federal_Funding_Accountability_and_Transparency_Act_of_2006 passed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Funding_Accountability_and_Transparency_Act_of_2006

These websites will also help:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois_Senate_career_of_Barack_Obama
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_career_of_Barack_Obama
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bills_sponsored_by_Barack_Obama_in_the_United_States_Senate

[DeeDeeNY]

5. If experience was all important

then Cheney would be the most qualified.

[Willo]

6. Here's a response from a DUer, I thought was really good.

Crappyjazz

"I think it will be an incredible job to fix what Bush/Cheney and the cronies have broken so badly and I was worried that Obama wouldn't have the experience to fix it all. Back then, I didn't know much about Obama and now that he is the candidate, I'm looking closer and realize that what he may lack in experience, he makes up for with intelligence and logic. He has surrounded himself with the necessary resources to help him. I listen closer when he speaks, I've read through his entire website, and I'm totally impressed by his smarts, his plans, his thinking, his goals and his ability to cut through crap and show that he really does get "it". He's inspiring in a way that comes through honestly and makes me believe in him and his plan to get America back to what it used to be."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7117829#7117873

Also, a compilation from Kos, similar to FrenchieCat's:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/16/9641/62473/762/599278

[Orsino]

7. You've out-framed yourself.

When McCain's record is considered, there's no way to spin it positively. His "experience" consists almost entirely of being almost entirely wrong when it came to making the decisions that ruled our lives.

Obama's sponsored legislation and his votes have mostly been for our side--though Congress has been held captive by neocons who wouldn't let real bills come to a vote.

In other words, what has McCain ever done for us? What has he not been willing to do for the plutocrats who want to own us?

[abumbyanyothername]

8. Outframed

You know how it is when you're talking with the wife!

[TheKentuckian]

9. The experience argument is like lazy and unknowledgable HR Managers

looking for an alphabet soup to source a position instead of doing the slogging trench work it takes to bring in a proper fit that is competent and has the knowledge, skills, and personality for a position.

The majority of experience argument people tend to have a weak command of who knows and can do what. I also see it as a convenient escape hatch to go against someone without discussing the real merits of what it takes to do a job and the prospective candidates for the position.

[Coexist]

11. all that stuff above, and this -

if he runs this country the way he has run his campaign, we are in for an amazing period in our history.

[malik flavors]

15. Will you people stop pooh-poohing experience and just give the man his 8 talking points? Jeez.

1. He has 12 years of legislative experience (8 in Illinois senate and 4 in the US senate), which is more than Abraham Lincoln had.

2. His district in Chicago while a state senator was more populated than the entire state of Alaska (Palin push back)

3. He serves on the foreign relations commitee, which gives him more foreign policy experience than either Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan had before they won the presidency.

4. He taught as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago for several years.

5. As a US senator he passed the most sweeping ethics reform bill since Watergate.

6. He traveled the world with republican Dick Lugar securing and protecting our country from loose nukes and then passed the bi-partisan Obama/Lugar nuclear proliferation act.

7. While a state senator he expanded health care coverage to residents of Illinois.

8. As far as executive experience, he's run and managed his presidential campaign for almost 2 years now, and it's been one of the most succesful campaigns in history. Both McCain and Hillary went into debt during the primaries while Obama always maintained a balanced budget. He has a huge staff and is dealing with hundreds of millions of dollars and everything about his campaign has been practically flawless up to this point.

9. As for judgement: He had the judgement to oppose the Irag war from the beginning because he understood how complex a serious war in the middle east could be. He also had the judgement to call for withdrawing troops from Iraq and placing them in Afghanistan to take the battle to the people that actually attacked the U.S. He also called for direct talks with our adversaries, something the Bush administration is now beginning to do.

That's just the ones that popped into my head, but I also like to add that he's proven himself over the past 19 months. Unlike Sarah Palin, he's been in 22 debates with our country's best and brightest and he came out on top. He's been grilled in hour long interviews time and time again. He's campaigned in 49 of the 50 states. He's shown the knowledge, strength, understanding, wisdom, and leadership necessary of a president. Over these past almost 2 years, he earned it and made clear to all that he's prepared for it.

[stillcool]

19. Here you go...

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/16/9641/62473/762/599278

and this is pretty cool too..
http://obamascrapbook.com/index.htm

[Eric J in MN]

28. Obama graduated from Harvard Law School...

...Taught Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago.

Served in the Illinois State Senate for 8 years.

Served in the US Senate for 4 years.