MamasForObama.net

Republicans are having a field day pointing out that Alaska Governor and Republican V.P. pick Sarah Palin has more "executive-level experience" than Barack Obama, Joe Biden or John McCain, making her the most qualified of the "gang of four" to be President of the United States. This executive-level experience consists of 20 months as governor of a state with less than 700,000 residents. The GOP is happily pointing out that legislating in the Senate doesn't even compare to running a state.

Republicans seem to forget that George Bush also had a lot of executive-level experience, namely two terms as Governor of Texas, and all that's gotten us is a train wreck of a presidency. So much for executive-level experience.

John McCain likes to joke about the fact that he was near the bottom of his class at the U.S. Naval Academy. Apparently, his dad placed about the same at that prestigious school. Somewhat surprisingly, McCain and his dad took pride in the fact that they were real rabble-rousers in college. Barack Obama, on the other hand, not only did well at Harvard University, he was President of the Harvard Law Review, a huge honor and great responsibility. It's pretty obvious who the smart and sensible one is here.

I don't know about you, but I want a President who is smart. Real smart. And sensible. These are trying times and we face great challenges, not only within our own country but on a global level. We need a President who can reason his way to smart solutions both at home and abroad. Goof-offs need not apply.

John McCain appeared on "Fox News Sunday" this morning and was compelled to answer some surprisingly candid questions from anchor Chris Wallace. Wallace at one point asked McCain about V.P. Pick Sarah Palin's foreign policy experience and Mc Cain responded that Palin had been a member of the PTA!! This is no joke, and it is the most nonsensical response I can imagine. Here's the clip from the Fox interview:

"WALLACE: But Senator, you talked about her years of experience. Ten of those years were as a city councilwoman and mayor of a town of 9,800 people. And in terms of foreign policy, in March of 2007, after — two months after the surge had started, she was asked about it, and she said, “I’ve been focused on state government. I haven’t focused on the war in Iraq.” Understandable for a governor; not understandable for a vice president.

MCCAIN: Well, by the way, also she was a member of the PTA. I think it’s wonderful. But the point is she’s been to Kuwait. She’s been over there. She’s been with her troops. The National Guard that she commands, who had been over there and had the experience. I’m proud of her knowledge of these challenges and issues."

The full transcript from the Fox web site is here:

http://embeds.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/08/31/mccain-talks-palin-on-fox-new...

I'm a member of the PTA, too, but that doesn't qualify ME to be Vice President.

The entire interview is beyond belief. John McCain is exhibiting the worst possible judgment here or, even worse, he is acting as no more than a mouthpiece for his Republican handlers and those in his party hell-bent on keeping the White House at all costs. Sensibility and good policy be damned, the straight talker appears to be saying, as long as it gets him elected President.

It is incumbent upon all Americans to pay close attention to this election. The choice is becoming crystal clear: Barack Obama and Joe Biden are EARNING their way to the White House thanks to sensible policies that truly address the needs of ordinary Americans while John McCain will say and do anything, and I mean ANYTHING, in his quest to become President.

For all the women out there, disaffected Hillary supporters and others, who think that John McCain's choice today of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate might be something to cheer about: Palin is a gun-totin' (lifelong member of the NRA) former chair of Alaska's Oil and Natural Gas Commission who's chompin' at the bit to drill in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), completely clueless about the need for alternative sources of energy in this country. A former beauty queen and small-town (make that tiny town, pop. 9,000) mayor who has been the governor of a small-population (make that tiny population) state for less than two years. A self-styled pro-life hockey mom who seems to have no qualms about killing Bambi's mom.

This is the person John McCain, who turns 72 today, has chosen to be a heartbeat away from the presidency of the United States of America? Make no mistake, ladies: Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton. Next to John McCain, she is our worst nightmare.

As most of us have probably heard by now, John McCain owns ten homes. He doesn't seem to know this, but he really does own ten homes. I'm not sure if they're all in America, in cities or small towns, luxury ski resorts or beach-y rivieras. I do know at least one of them is a sprawling ranch in Sedona, Arizona. The ranch isn't his primary home but he does seem to go there an awful lot.

I don't think John McCain can feel my pain if he owns ten homes. I own one -- well, the bank owns it, they just let me and my family live here. What I need, what most of us need, is a president who GETS the ordinary American's experience: go to work, get paid, help the kids with their homework, save for a rainy day. John McCain is so far out of touch with ordinary Americans, it's scary.

There are 55 million Americans of voting age who are currently not registered to vote. That means it's highly likely that each and every one of us knows at least a FEW people who are not registered to vote. If we took the time to ask our friends and neighbors if they are registed to vote and made the case for Barack Obama, it would go a long way toward electing Barack Obama the next President of the United States of America.

Watching Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention last night, I was in awe of The Man Who Would Be President. He was forceful, sure and RIGHT on the issues that matter most to ordinary Americans. Obama made the case for why he should be elected over John McCain: we need tax relief for the middle class, far less dependence on foreign oil, health care and education for all and the kind of judgment in a commander-in-chief that balances our safety at home with our place in the world. His solid policies and proposals stand in stark contrast to John McCain's continued petulance over his opponent's intelligence and integrity.

The choice is clear. Barack Obama MUST be the next President of the United States of America.

I've been saying for some time now that Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee for President in 2008. Daniel Henninger of the Wall Street Journal makes a more eloquent case for the very same thing in yesterday's edition:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120899521565139921.html?mod=todays_colum...

The people have already spoken for Obama -- he leads in the popular vote, pledged delegates, states won and...fundraising. It's this last and oh-so-important category that has brought heavyweight superdelegates like former Senators Sam Nunn and David Boren over to Obama's side. Like it or not, it's going to take money, real money, to defeat the Republicans in the fall and Obama has proven that he can raise money across a wide spectrum. Add to that class, grace and humility and he far outpaces Senator Clinton in every meaningful way.

There are still far too many superdelegates on the fence (at least publicly), something which will likely shift over the next several weeks. By then, we should be addressing The Man for all Reasons as "the Democratic nominee for President of the United States, Senator Barack Obama!"

I should have seen it coming when ABC News kept promoting its televised Democratic debate last night as "Clinton vs. Obama" -- like it was a prize fight! Boorish anchors Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos came out like hackneyed corner men, urging the candidates to bash and bloody each other with cheap entreaties on overwrought gossip and innuendo. About 50 minutes into the debate (I just happened to look up at the clock), I realized that not ONE substantive question had been asked on issues that matter to the American public. Where were the questions on jobs, trade agreements, education, the environment and a host of other issues that people wanted to hear about, and needed answers to, during the course of the 90-minute debate?

It seems like an awfully long time ago when these debates were hosted by the League of Women Voters. Back then, they were smart, sensible affairs that allowed the PEOPLE to vet the candidates, not the so-called journalists. Gibson, Stephanopolous and their handlers at ABC heaped great shame upon their profession last night. If this is how political debates are orchestrated these days, they no longer serve us.

Finally, I trust that the American people will have the sense to listen to the candidates that choose to discuss the ISSUES as opposed to those who can prop themselves up only if they sling enough mud.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has just endorsed Barack Obama:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08107/873625-192.stm

Terrific essay -- 'nuff said!