Obama sucks.

[Roy Karrde]

This is also an opinion, and even though this isn't about Obama, if by 'at this point', you mean right this very second in time, Obama has a plethora of foreign policy experience under his belt.

No, as Sarah Palin is not running for the President right now. I am comparing her 3 years of Foreign Policy experience as a Governor, to the 1 year in the Senate, of which you cannot even gain much or any Foreign Policy experience when he ran as a President. If we are going to say that she doesn't have the foreign policy experience to hold National Office, then Obama when he began running did not either.

What does she have? Apart from a yet to be proven knowledge of Russian politics and a couple of trips she has done since being named the VP candidate, nothing.

You mean other than the numerous deals she did with Canada on the Alaskan Pipeline? Remember Russia is only 1 half of her Foreign Policy experience.

She hadn't even left the USA a year prior to being named the VP candidate.

While leaving the US would help gain foreign policy experience, it is not a pre requisite.

One would think that if Alaska's proximity to Russia means that it is of enough interest to the governor to be briefed daily about it, she would at least travel to Russia, or at least phone Moscow, neither of which she has done (or at least, no evidence exists for her doing).

One it is not her place to contact Moscow by phone, since you seem to know little about American Foreign Policy, we do have a hierarchy, Governor's do not deal with heads of state or even Foreign Governments in a direct fashion as a National Government does. Second that is a very piss poor example, she does not need to be over there to know what is going on over there. Governor Perry does not need to go to the Gangland held territories of Mexico to know that it is a lawless uncontrolled place that could spill over into Texas.

Don't try to turn this into 'well even though she has no real experience, neither does Obama' because I'm not here to support Obama, my point is the evidence for Palin even having a basic knowledge of Russian politics is minimal at best, whereas the lack of evidence suggesting she has an involved knowledge is of much greater concern.

You drew out the comparison and now you have to deal with it, if we are going to make her foreign policy experience a example of why she should or she should not be on the national level, then we damn well are going to compare it to others who have ascended to the national level. Don't like it, tough.

But at least Obama is trying to change things, I think it's probably just the USA's indoctrinated into a culture of not getting anything done quickly through bureaucracy.

Except he is getting the wrong things done, he passed a Stimulus and then took his eye off the ball, focusing on divisive issues like Health Care and Cap and Trade while the Stimulus failed to help the US economy. Now look at where we are at, a dead Cap and Trade bill, a dead Health Care bill, and a economy that is getting worse again.

I think it also comes back into the whole "Look, unless this policy is for my political party, I ain't supportin' it!" Regardless of how good it is for the people.

Is that why Independents and Democrats as seen in the Scott Brown victory are moving toward the Republican party?

[Heald]

One it is not her place to contact Moscow by phone, since you seem to know little about American Foreign Policy, we do have a hierarchy, Governor's do not deal with heads of state or even Foreign Governments in a direct fashion as a National Government does.

This is exactly my point, thank you for proving it for me. She has no foreign policy experience because it has never been her place. She deals with state issues; dealing with foreign countries, which is what foreign policy is, is a federal issue. She might be briefed when Russian planes fly over US airspace, but then again, that's national news and what she knows anyone reading a newspaper will know too. You've still yet to effectively portray Palin as someone who is reliable in terms of foreign policy.

You drew out the comparison and now you have to deal with it

Err, actually you started it with:

she has far more foreign policy experience than one Freshman Senator from Illinois.

I couldn't give two shits about Obama, the fact is you couldn't prove Palin is an acceptable candidate for president due to her horrible lack of foreign policy experience so you use your usual fall-back of 'well at least she isn't as bad as Obama', as if your horribly skewed opinion on Obama and Democrats as a whole is a good metric of how suited to a national office a candidate is.

[Roy Karrde]

This is exactly my point, thank you for proving it for me. She has no foreign policy experience because it has never been her place. She deals with state issues; dealing with foreign countries, which is what foreign policy is, is a federal issue. She might be briefed when Russian planes fly over US airspace, but then again, that's national news and what she knows anyone reading a newspaper will know too. You've still yet to effectively portray Palin as someone who is reliable in terms of foreign policy.

Except since Foreign Policy covers many aspects it is nieve if not stupid to say she has no foreign policy experience. She may not be dealing directly with the Russian Government, but that does not mean she was not briefed on Russian activities that could endanger her state, either on a political level, or on a military level. Just as my Governor is briefed on Gang and Mafia activities that could threaten my state.

Second you seem to forget that Russia is only one of two countries she dealt with. She did have permission to deal with the Canadian Government on the Alaskan Oil Pipeline, a project that she spent alot of time on as governor.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...2.26d3d5b.html

Err, actually you started it with:

Err I was replying to

The point is, there is a far more disturbing lack of evidence that she has anything near the level of foreign policy experience required of national office

If we are going to look at the requirements for national office on the level of foreign policy then comparing her to the man that just took said national office is a just comparison.

I couldn't give two shits about Obama, the fact is you couldn't prove Palin is an acceptable candidate for president due to her horrible lack of foreign policy experience so you use your usual fall-back of 'well at least she isn't as bad as Obama', as if your horribly skewed opinion on Obama and Democrats as a whole is a good metric of how suited to a national office a candidate is.

If Palin some how becomes a unacceptable candidate for President due to her foreign policy experience then I have every right to compare her to the current President, if we are going to establish a foreign policy baseline for the Presidency then I have every right to begin with Obama.