the Experience Straw Man

by Alan Willis [courtesy of Blog for America]

Recently, some folks in the McCain have been talking about “experience”, implying that McCain has more political experience than Barack Obama (should Hillary Clinton become the nominee, it’s reasonable to assume that the McCain report will launch a similar attack on her). The statement, on its face, is true. McCain has been in the Senate for several years more than Obama. Of course, that in no way guarantees that McCain would be a better president than Obama. Warren G. Harding had more experience in the federal government prior to his election than Woodrow Wilson had had before he was elected. No one would argue Harding was a better president than Wilson.

And then there is the audacity of Republican hypocrisy. Allow me to sketch two political careers. The first: failed bid for term in House of Representatives, followed by eventual election to the one of the (if not the) weakest governorships in the US where he served for six years; the second: eight years in the House of Representatives, eight years in the US Senate, eight years as Vice President of the United States. Of course, these two resumes, respectively, belong to George W. Bush and Al Gore, Jr. The Republican Party now touting “experience” as a qualification for president supported Bush over Gore.

Undoubtedly, the McCain camp will also bring patriotism and war service. I have no doubts about McCain’s patriotism or his heroism. Nor do I have any doubts about Gore’s. On the other hand, George W. Bush skipped Vietnam (Obama, having been born in 1961, would have been too young to serve, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone tries to suggest he ducked his service by being only thirteen years old).

Anyone who voted for Bush in 2000 and now touts McCain’s experience as the reason to support him over Obama (or Clinton, if she becomes the nominee) commits a grievous act of hypocrisy.