SARAH PALIN'S EXPERIENCE ABOVE AND BEYOND BARACK OBAMA - THE SUNDAY COMMENTARY

Friday the political world was shocked by the surprise choice of Republican Presidential nominee John McCain in naming Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to the number two spot on the 2008 GOP ticket. The Democrat attack machine immediately began hitting Palin on the issue of experience and as the weekend progressed the left has actually been reaching in their attacks which shows that the choice of Palin was not only unexpected but a choice that sparks fear in Democrat circles.

Attacks ranging from the ,"inexperienced on foreign relations," attacks that began on Friday to trying to portray her as, " not as conservative," as she says because her husband and oldest son are registered Independents. An attack that appeared late on Saturday even moves into the ridiculous questioning the mother of five on her family values because when she went into labor in April for the birth of her son she was at a conference in Texas.

Her water broke and she still gave her scheduled speech then boarded a plane to head home to Alaska. Because she did not go to a Texas hospital and did not ask her doctors permission to fly home, the left are claiming that she has low family values and was not concerned about the life of ,"an unborn child !" This coming from the hypocrites that believe aborting the unborn in no big deal. The Dems are reaching and show their fear with Palin on the ticket.

While ridiculous attacks like the previously mentioned are dangling in the media, I find it not only surprising but extremely hypocritical that Democrats are actually stepping into the experience debate concerning Governor Palin the GOP number two. Especially with the absolute inexperience of the number one on the Democrat ticket.

This is a debate that I am not sure the Democrats want to get into during the course of this election. Many pundits are using the experience argument as a condemnation of McCain's choice by stating that Palin's perceived lack of foreign policy experience will only be a ," heartbeat ," from the Presidency.

My first response to this accusation by the left who really are taking a political risk by forcing this debate, is that if Barack Obama is elected President, (which I believe will NOT happen), the heartbeat WILL be the President. Obama's foreign policy experience consists of a visit to Pakistan when he was in college and two travels to the Middle East since being elected to the Senate. One of which was his recent rock tour to the Middle East and Europe.

If Obama's trips overseas are considered qualifying foreign policy experience then Palin has nearly the same as she has taken a trip to Iraq to visit the troops. But additionally Palin as Governor of Alaska has had to deal with foreign entities on a regular basis as Alaska is a major hub for importing and exporting and oil is the major industry of the State which involves dealing with many foreign entities both from a foreign business and foreign governmental stand point.

But setting all of that aside for the Democrats to attack Palin as inexperienced leaves the debate wide open for spotlighting the inexperience of Barack Obama. Of course the Dems are trying to portray that McCain has taken that issue off the table because of choosing Palin. But I counter that with this. The Democrats by using inexperience as an attack have actually taken that debate to a higher level and made in more available for attack against Obama.

Prior to the Palin choice the Obama campaign especially after selecting Joe Biden for the ticket had avoided the experience debate like the plaque. Then when Biden was selected even Bill Clinton in his Convention speech stated that because Joe Biden's ,"experience and wisdom, " was on the Democrat ticket that, " America will have the National Security leadership that we need."

The addition of Biden and his years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, according to the Democrats, took the experience issue off the table. Of course we all know that adding Biden did little to change the experience issue because as President it would be Obama's responsibility to make decisions and not Biden's.

The inexperience issue is at the top of the ticket with the Democrats and the perceived inexperience issue is with the number two for the GOP. I state , "perceived, " inexperience for the GOP ticket because Sarah Palin is the only candidate in the race with elected Executive experience and as has been said many times in the last few days, while Obama has been campaigning for the Presidency from nearly day one in the US Senate, Palin has been in the Alaska State Capitol dealing very successfully with the executive responsibilities of being the Governor of a State.

Palin's selection for Vice President by John McCain has NOT taken the issue of experience off the table as many on the left are trying to claim but actually because the Democrats have chosen to highlight the issue, the inexperience of Barack Obama is now much more in the forefront than it was last week as the Obama campaign and their Democrat surrogates including the left wing media have highlighted experience in their charges against Sarah Palin.

The experience debate therefore has intensified and the loser in that debate is Barack Obama whose experience consists of a speech in 2004 at the Democrat Convention which placed him in the national spotlight and three years as a US Senator running for the Presidency.

Contrast that with Sarah Palin , the GOP Vice Presidential nominee who while Obama has been running for President has been running a City and then a State. Reforming a corrupt State Government, reducing taxes, dealing with foreign entities that have daily business with her State, using her VETO pen to reduce State spending, building an oil pipe line to help meet the energy needs of Alaska and the United States sending a son to the Army and shortly to Iraq and still having a baby and raising a family.

So to the Dems I challenge this, if you want a debate about experience bring it one because no matter how one sizes it up John McCain's experience in the military making Executive decisions as a commander , his long history of public service which has taken him to every corner of the world dealing with foreign leaders on pressing issues and domestic issues here at home combined with the hands on Executive experience of Sarah Palin make McCain/Palin the REAL experience that we need to lead this Nation for the next four years.

Ken Taylor