Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, who's emerged as one of Sarah Palin's highest profile Conservative boosters, defended the Alaska governor's decision to step down today in a panel appearance on "Fox News Sunday," and compared her level of experience to that of Barack Obama, who served less that one full term in the Senate before being elected president.Peep the stoopid video of this stoopid comment.
Kristol, who argued that Obama had markedly limited accomplishments in his brief time in the Senate before kicking off his presidential run, said, "In 2004, Obama had given one good speech at the Democratic convention. And Palin gave one good speech in 2008."
Palin, said, Kristol, is making a sound decision in "a world where people don't value years of experience in Washington, or even conceivably two terms as governor of Alaska."
"It's high risk," he said of Palin's move to resign her office after serving less than one full term. "She's really all-in here. She has no safety net." Comparing her team's national experience unfavorably to those of Bush, McCain and Romney, he said that it will also come down to Palin's personal appeal and talents: "She's really just getting out there and it's going to depend on her talents and abilities."
Kristol added: "I do think the attacks were amazing. She had been the object of more hated, I would say, and more hatred thats been accepted by the mainstream media than any politician I could remember." Assessing the movie, he concluded, "She had had an interesting political career and I don't rule her out. The odds are against her, but the odds were against her anyway."
He's right. The odds were against her anyway, and the odds are really against her now. Quitting a job that you're barely halfway done with is hardly the stuff of champions. Given the fact that Kristol more or less "discovered" Palin, it's no surprise that he's one of the few folks on either side of the aisle that's
[Editor's Note: How hilarious is it that Palin keeps whining about "elitists" in "DC and New York" when half the people that are actually supporting her in the media either live in DC or NY, and prolly went to an Ivy. Uhh, and BTW, Sarah, The White House is also in DC.]
What's become incredibly obvious in watching the coverage of Palin, particularly from Conservatives, is that the GOP wants her to be their Obama. She has a built-in level of magnetic charisma that makes her appealing. Her "minority" status makes her an anomaly seldom seen at this big a stage. And while I don't really see what all the fuss is about, lots of people find her very good looking. So, in those three areas, I suppose there's some commonality.
But that's where it all ends. The GOP so badly wants to have their own Barack Obama that they projected onto Sarah Palin those same qualities. But, she is the opposite of Obama.
Palin went to 5 colleges (including 2 JUCOS) over a 6 year span before finally graduating with a degree in journalism. Obama went to Occidental College, transferred to Columbia University, and graduated with a degree in political science in 4 years. He returned to school years later at Harvard, where he graduated 3rd in his class and became the first black to head the Harvard Law Review at the end of his first year.
Palin's prepolitical career consisted of a few years as a sports reporter for a local news station, and some freelance work assisting her husband's commercial fishing business. Obama spent two years working on Wall Street, nearly a decade as a community organizer, and 12 years as a professor of constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School, and as a civil rights attorney.
Palin's poltical career consisted of a decade as city councilperson and mayor of Wassila, AK, a city of 6,300, a failed election as Lietenant Governor, one year (she quit early) as head of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, 2 years as a co-director of a 527 group, and 30 months as Governor of the State of Alaska. Obama's career consists of 8 years in the senate of the 5th most populous state in the country, a failed run for US Congress, 4 years as US Senator, and 6 months as United States President.
I'm sorry Bill Kristol, but you are either high, or completely deluded if you think that Sarah Palin is more qualified than Barack Obama.
And on a related note, can we all agree that this "they're attacking her because they're afraid of her" argument is bunk? Seriously, the only people scared of her are fully qualified Republicans who see their already slim chances at running for President endangered by a person who didn't pay her dues, and can play the victim card if you attack her. And potential future GOP opponent who calls this idiocy what it is runs the risk of alientaing what remains of the party's "base" (right now, at least). I can't possibly see Obama shaking in his boots at the prospect of taking on Miss Sarah, cause he's smart enough to know that her own party won't allow her to make it past South Carolina. If she thinks a few ethical investigations (some frivolous and some pretty serious) and a joke from a late night hack comedian are too tough, wait'll she gets a load of what Newt Gringrich has in store for that a$$ if she decides to run.
Question: Is Palin as qualified as Obama? What is her next move?
Kristol: Palin qualifications on par with Obama [Politico]
