The professional politician Posted by: McQ
on Tuesday, July 15, 2008
In fact, it could be said that when you look up the term "professional politician" you'll find Barack Obama's picture there.
Jim Geraghty at NRO put an interesting post together which takes you through the 10 year political carreer of Barack Obama. What he found was that Obama spent half of those 10 years running for the next higher office.
Half.
There are 120 months from November 1998 to November 2008. Of those 120 months, Obama was campaigning for higher office in 59 of them, or about 49.1 percent.
If you begin counting from September 1999, there are 112 months between then and November 2008, and Obama has been campaigning for higher office in 52.6 percent of those months. (This does not count any campaigning to retain his seat in the state legislature.)
So in essence Obama only has half the legislative experience he claims. In fact his legislative expericence at all levels is about the same as John McCain's length of stay in the Hanoi Hilton.
Geraghty breaks it down by year and the number of months per year if you're having a rough time believing the summary.
Never, in my memory, has this nation ever considered turning over the most powerful job in the world to someone with such meager qualifications for the post - and that includes Jimmy Carter.
How has that worked out as far as discharging the duties he was elected to carry out?
Subcommittee on European Affairs Committee on Foreign Relations U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Obama,
In the coming days, I understand you will travel to Afghanistan for the first time and visit with a few of our European partners. Like my travels to these regions, I trust this trip will afford you a unique opportunity to see the facts on the ground firsthand and witness the work of our brave men and women who sacrifice so much to secure our freedom.
In February, I had the privilege of visiting and talking with our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. These brave Americans serve their country with incredible passion, pride and courage. As you know, NATO’s International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) plays an integral part in the current operations and reconstruction of Afghanistan.
There are concerns about the imbalance between some European nations, their level of commitment to the fight in Afghanistan, and caveats these nations place on their forces in theater. I trust you will become well acquainted with these issues. The Bush Administration has worked hard to maintain and increase the level of forces our European allies have committed to the fight.
However, despite these successes, I am concerned our Subcommittee has not held any hearings on these issues over the last two years. With oversight of NATO relations and its role in Afghanistan, I believe it is time for us to focus closely on these issues. As Ranking Member of your Subcommittee on European Affairs, I would welcome a chance to hold a hearing on NATO’s mission in Afghanistan upon your return.
The success of Afghanistan is critical to the future of NATO and vital to our efforts to defeat Al Qaeda and the Taliban. As the situation in Afghanistan grows more tense, it is time for us to hold a hearing on the mission there. I look forward to working with you to schedule this hearing.
Sincerely,
Jim DeMint
Sen. Obama is the chairman of the Subcommittee on European Affairs, which has oversight on NATO and thus NATO's effort in Afghanistan.
The chairman has never been to Afghanistan nor held a committee meeting in two years. Yet somehow, if you listen to him, he's an authority on what we should be doing there.
This is a phenomenal con taking place. It is, quite frankly, an amazing thing to watch. I just have to shake my head sometimes in wonder that so many people pay such little attention to what should be obvious, and, if they were thinking, wouldn't fall for all the hype and glitter that hides the empty suit.
It is disheartening. When Sen. Edwards attempted to game the system in almost the same way (parlay a 1/2 term from a cake senate seat into a spot on the ticket), I was also pretty disgusted.
But the GOP deserves this, they’ve pretty much squandered their big chance, and the Dems who vote for him will deserve what they get because they’re just willfull idiots.
Oh well, at least I can have as much schadenfreude as I can stomach in the upcoming years....
Look. I Could not agree more that Obama should not have the highest office. However, the argument that he isn’t in the system enough is a losing one. I Can not stand the ones who have spent their entire adult lives in the system any more then him. It just shows that he hasn’t learned how to game the system as much as the next person. BooHoo..
Obama won’t hold hearings. Hearings are boring and frought with difficult to manage "facts." He will stick with riding the unicorn of hopey changitude. Unfortunately, his flip flopping looks like it will cost him the election, and we will have to suffer 4 years of this dud of a candidate McCain. New McCain slogan: McCain- Bob Dole for the new millenium...minus the character, humor, and youth.
The chairman has never been to Afghanistan nor held a committee meeting in two years.
“The reason Senator Obama didn’t chair a NATO and Afghanistan subcommittee hearing is because I did, as Chairman of the Committee. Sen. DeMint should know that when it comes to the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq, we hold those hearings at the full committee level,” said Senator Joe Biden.
But hey, who cares about the truth when there is a good sound bite to be had.
The chairman has never been to Afghanistan nor held a committee meeting in two years.
“The reason Senator Obama didn’t chair a NATO and Afghanistan subcommittee hearing is because I did, as Chairman of the Committee. Sen. DeMint should know that when it comes to the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq, we hold those hearings at the full committee level,” said Senator Joe Biden.
But hey, who cares about the truth when there is a good sound bite to be had.
Then golly gee Beave, what’s the purpose of the subcommittee then if he’s gonna have his boss hold the meetings in the full committee? Just another Democrat enabler helping this tool pad his resume? [And I wonder how many of THOSE meetings he was actually at.]
Hey mythbuster, keep on preachin’ the "hopey changiness". Idiot.
Doesn’t address the question Myth - DeMint is ON the subcommittee and wants to know when the SUB-COMMITTEE is going to meet.
So, yeah, I’m sure that mighty Joe Biden has had meetings on Afghanistan. Biden chairs Senate Foreign Relations.
I am concerned our Subcommittee has not held any hearings on these issues over the last two years.
Obama the sub-committee chair on European Affairs
And while I’m sure DeMint is trying to make a point against Obama, the point still applies - when is the the subcommittee responsible for dealing with Europe where NATO resides, going to have a meeting about how NATO is going to support ongoing activities in Afghanistan.
Nice try with the bait and switch, both Biden, and YOU for carrying all the water for both of them.
I seem to remember that one of the primary criticisms leveled against Bush by Democrats in 2000, was that he was too inexperienced. In fact, he was pretty light on experience. However, in relative terms, he was much more qualified than Obama. At least he had some executive experience in the public sector and he had been in business. People have not mentioned that in addition to Obama’s light resume in the public sector, he never did anything in the private sector except for an entry level job after college, some failed community organizing, and a few years of unexceptional law practice. Oh, and there was his tenure as a "Constitutional Law professor". Obama’s qualifications outside of his tenure as a US Senator are no better than literally millions of Americans.
Yeah - here’s a Biden office quote - (such respect for Obama) with regard to the committee’s work.
“We find it a little disingenuous that Sen. Obama is hailing this as a new bold initiative when he has neglected to join his colleagues in the Senate when the opportunities have been there to redirect our forces into Afghanistan” Biden campaign manager Luis Navarro said at the time. “It’s good to see Sen. Obama has finally arrived at the right position, but this can hardly be considered bold leadership.”
