The Obama Campaign's Totally Politically Tone Deaf Attack on Sarah Palin

It didn't take the Democrats and the Obama campaign long to attack the VP pick of Sarah Palin.

A leading House Democrat said Friday John McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is a "risky" move that could ultimately prove disastrous to the Republican prospects in November.

Meanwhile, a top Senate Democrat said the pick is a "Hail Mary pass" and a "roll of the dice," in what is the initial reactions from McCain's rival party.

Speaking on a South Carolina radio station, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn likened the choice of Palin to Walter Mondale's choice of Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and George H.W. Bush's pick of Dan Quayle in 1988. Both picks — relatively unknown political figures at the time — generated initial excitement but were ultimately deemed poor choices by many political observers.

Here is the Obama campaign's statement.

the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency."

The scathing description of Sarah Palin, from Obama spokesman Bill Burton, comes as Democrats scramble to gather a response to a selection that nobody in the political world expected."

Governor Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush's failed economic policies — that's not the change we need, it's just more of the same,"

Now, in my opinion, these attacks are totally politically tone deaf. First, Barack Obama talked about ending the partisanship in Washington just last night, and he turns around and makes a cheap shot not twelve hours later.

Now, again, I am troubled by her lack of readiness for the Presidency, however that is a lot less troubling in a VP, then a President. The irony of these attacks is that everything that can be said about the Palin pick can be said about Obama himself. Obama has zero foreign policy experience himself. He has just as much experience as Palin and he isn't a heartbeat away from the Presidency, he is right there.

Inexperience can be excused in a Vice President because the duties of the VP are rather light. In a President, experience is vital. The other thing about her lack of experience is the impressive set of accomplishments she has had. She has a history of cutting taxes, ending corruption, and taking on the establishment. So, while her time in office is slim, her record during that time is impressive.

What's really puzzling about these attacks is that they undercut much of Obama's theme. He proclaims that experience doesn't necessarily come from being in Washington. Here is how Barack Obama, himself, put it last night.

And you know what - it's worked before. Because it feeds into the cynicism
we all have about government. When Washington doesn't work, all its promises
seem empty. If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it's best to
stop hoping, and settle for what you already know.

I get it. I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don't fit the typical pedigree, and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington.

But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the nay-sayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. It's been about you.

For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us - that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it - because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.

America, this is one of those moments.

Now, with this statement, he did and said everything he claimed to be cynical about Washington, We can't trust Sarah Palin because she was mayor of town that was too small. Barack Obama in less than twelve hours did everything he claimed was wrong in D.C.

Much more than that though, Palin's experience matches up quite well with Obama's. In fact, her record of achievement and accomplishment dwarfs that of Obama's, which of course is zero. The reality is that Palin is a lot more qualified to be President than Barack Obama is and she is on the bottom of the ticket. If it is dangerous to have Palin so close to the Presidency, what does it say to have Obama as President?