Sarah Palin and the Experience Factor

In the past few years we've seen "WMDs were the sole reason for invading Iraq", "CO2 is the major driver of climatic trends", and "Karl Rove is the Devil Incarnate", to consider only three. Each case is demonstrably false, yet each case has been allowed to dominate the public [media] debate.

In the 2008 election, one of these ruling myths is "Sarah Palin does not have the experience to be vice-president."

Out of all four candidates, Sarah Palin is the only one with any of the requisite executive experience required for office. She is the sole candidate who has ever run anything larger than a college debating society. If she is not qualified, none of them are, and we'd better dump ‘em all and start over.

The value of having been a governor is obvious, the progression from there to the presidency apparent. Not so with senators. Whatever it is they do when not traipsing around Washington in their purple-trimmed togas, it has nothing in common with executive experience. [i.e., one of a hundred votes {with all the 'cover' that brings} vs. being the one ultimately responsible - too true.][snip]

And finally, there's the fact that she has no foreign policy experience. None. Zero. Why, no less than Charles Gibson clearly demonstrated that on the tube, with plenty in the way of sighs and head shakes, too.

...except for the easily demonstrated fact that Governor Palin, on August 27th of this year, completed a pipeline agreement with Canada, which is a foreign country. The agreement had been stymied for over two decades by various interests in Alaskan state government. Palin got it wrapped up in that busy eighteen months. [ it's the largest public works project in US history][snip]

Americans like governors -- somebody with hands-on experience at running a state who can demonstrate that experience...

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