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Experience? Never Mind
Washington Post ^ | September 1, 2008 | Michael Kinsley

Posted on 09/01/2008 5:48:29 AM PDT by ricks_place

In a famous example of ideological flexibility, the American Communist Party changed its mind completely about Adolph Hitler in 1939, when he signed a deal with Joseph Stalin. Previously, they hadn't cared for him much. Suddenly, he looked pretty good. Two years later, when Hitler ratted on the deal and invaded the Soviet Union, the Communists changed their minds again. Both times, it took only days.

Now, thanks to the Internet, the same kind of conversion can take place in hours or even minutes. And although it's hard to find many Communists around these days, we happen to have just the party for the job.

It seems like only yesterday that the Republican Party was complaining about Barack Obama's lack of foreign policy "experience." (As a matter of fact, when I started writing this, it actually was yesterday.) Even now, the Republican National Committee's main anti-Obama Web site has the witty address http://www.notready08.com. The contrast in experience, especially foreign policy experience, between John McCain and Obama was supposed to be the central focus of McCain's campaign.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2008veep; foreignpolicy; kinsley; obama; palin
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Obama has no significant accomplishments.
1 posted on 09/01/2008 5:48:29 AM PDT by ricks_place
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To: ricks_place
None, zip, zero, zilch, nada. I defy liberals to name one Obama accomplishment. All they can offer is "hope and change!"

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

2 posted on 09/01/2008 5:51:13 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: ricks_place
Good grief! Is M. Kinsley still around? Since he isn't on tv as a pundit anymore, I had blessedly forgotten him. Another useless, can't comprehend, lib.

vaudine

3 posted on 09/01/2008 5:51:20 AM PDT by vaudine (RO)
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To: ricks_place

Nothing like starting out your editorial comparing Republicans to the American Communist Party and Hitler.
Sorry, couldn’t finish reading. Maybe I’ll come back later for a laugh.


4 posted on 09/01/2008 5:53:20 AM PDT by nuconvert (Obama - Preferred by 4 out of 5 Dictators & Terrorists)
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To: ricks_place
"the American Communist Party changed its mind completely about Adolph Hitler in 1939, when he signed a deal with Joseph Stalin. Previously, they hadn't cared for him much. Suddenly, he looked pretty good."

LOL! One well known communist group in California immediately changed their name from the "Anti-Nazi League" to the "Hollywood Peace Forum" and quickly adopted the slogan "Let's Skip The Next War!". True story. Look up author Ronald Radosh for lots more on the Hollywood Left.

5 posted on 09/01/2008 5:53:36 AM PDT by ETL (Smoking-gun evidence on all the ObamaRat-Commie connections at my FR Profile/Home page)
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To: ricks_place

A flimsy premise for an article, imho. But hey, they don’t have much to work with.


6 posted on 09/01/2008 5:54:00 AM PDT by the invisib1e hand (when you're bot, you're pwn3d)
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To: ricks_place

Oh, this is good... a typical inside-the-beltway liberal pundit comparing McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin (who has NO experience) with Joe Stalin’s reversing his decision on his alliance with Hitler and the Nazis.

Yeah, Michael, that’s a great analogy. Why don’t you promote that on NPR and CNN. I’m sure it will gather a following.


7 posted on 09/01/2008 5:54:39 AM PDT by ReleaseTheHounds ("The demagogue is one who preaches doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots.")
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To: nuconvert
When they have to compare Republicans to extremists, they really have nothing to say. The straw man fallacy is the oldest trick in the book!

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

8 posted on 09/01/2008 5:54:40 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: ricks_place

Exactly.

The left still doesn’t get it.

It’s not “experience”, as in “time in tenure” that we’re talking about, it’s “experience” as in “accomplishments”.

Counting the time in office for Obama as a whole is ridiculous, since he’s been campaigning for 2 years. But looking at his life...the past 20 years...what has he DONE? What has he accomplished??

Nothing.

Except write a couple of self-aggrandizing autobiographies.

Sarah Palin on the other hand, made a difference and has a list of accomplishments she can showcase. And she’s not even Obama’s competition! Now contrast the accomplishments of McCain with Obama...and then McCain/Palin with Obama/Biden.

It’s not even close.


9 posted on 09/01/2008 5:55:11 AM PDT by PowerPro (McCain/Palin FTW)
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To: ricks_place
And although it's hard to find many Communists around these days,...

Lost credibility right there. Everything else in meaningless.

10 posted on 09/01/2008 5:55:32 AM PDT by Northern Yankee (Freedom Needs A Soldier)
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To: ricks_place

“Palin has run a business, a city, and the State of Alaska. All Obama has run is his mouth.” - Mark Steyn.


11 posted on 09/01/2008 5:57:19 AM PDT by Pistolshot (Palin has run a state, city, and a business. NObama has only run his mouth.)
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To: ricks_place
And although it's hard to find many Communists around these days

LOL...look in the mirror lately skippy? Or how about just looking at your nominee.

12 posted on 09/01/2008 5:57:26 AM PDT by Archon of the East (Universal Executive Power of the Law of Nature)
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To: ricks_place
And although it's hard to find many Communists around these days, we happen to have just the party for the job.

I find it fairly easy to find Communists these days. They just call themselves demoncrats!

13 posted on 09/01/2008 5:58:14 AM PDT by RdhseRat
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To: the invisib1e hand

We have a governor who fought corruption in her own party and state government, cleaning up the state in only two years, and we have a senator from the corrupt Chicago machine who spent two years doing little more than voting “present.”


14 posted on 09/01/2008 5:59:44 AM PDT by Wilhelm Tell (True or False? This is not a tag line.)
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To: ricks_place

Of course, nevermind that the Dems did not think experience mattered last week, and now they do.

I am pleased, though, that they have undertaken an attack on Palin’s experience, because it invites a comparison with Obama’s experience, and it’s not at all clear that Obama has even as much experience as Palin has. In effect, the attack on Palin highlights Obama’s weakness.

In addition, it lowers expectations. Hopefully, Palin will impress in the debates, given the low bar that has been established.


15 posted on 09/01/2008 6:00:29 AM PDT by Brilliant
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To: ricks_place
Some talking head asked Christopher Dodd, The Earl of Sandwich, how the dims could bloviate so loudly on Palin's experience given that the blowhard at the top of their ticket never did nuthin. Dodd just responded that well the Republicans had more exprienced choices to pick from.

I don't understand why press folks don't tell pols to answer the f'in question, ever, but I suspect the real problem is that the opposition research had turned up lots of "dirt" on more experienced pubbies, which is why we on are side are also getting a bit tired of them, but didn't have much they could actually use on Palin and the stuff they were making up was blowing up in their faces.

Just a guess.

16 posted on 09/01/2008 6:00:53 AM PDT by AndyJackson
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To: ricks_place
If Biden gets too exited after having achieved the VP position and kicks the bucket, who will handle international issues?
17 posted on 09/01/2008 6:01:09 AM PDT by pennboricua
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To: Wilhelm Tell

Please repeat the truth at any given opportunity.


18 posted on 09/01/2008 6:01:58 AM PDT by the invisib1e hand (when you're bot, you're pwn3d)
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To: ricks_place
Kinsley. Bill Buckley took pity on the poor boy and let his smarmy comments live on Firing Line, then he took 'Slate.com' from an unknown entity to full obscurity. The LA Times hired him to carry their lib water, where he failed miserably, now the WaPo (house organ for the DNC....along with CNN, ABC, NBC.....), to fill up space recently vacated by advertisers, feels obligated to use his vapidness as a filler.

He has a writing style only a mother could love.

19 posted on 09/01/2008 6:03:25 AM PDT by keithtoo (Fighting Global Warming is like fighting vampires, or werewolves, or other imaginary creatures.)
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To: ricks_place
A very weak argument. Lots of generalities. That where they can make their pompous analysis.

As soon as you start to talk about the specifics, what has Obama done and what has Palin done, it's so one-sided that they wouldn't dare cover them both in the same editorial.

20 posted on 09/01/2008 6:06:31 AM PDT by FreePoster (Political correctness will not die of its own sickness. It has to be killed by the ideas of freedom.)
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