Anderson Cooper asked Barack Obama last night to answer the claim that Sarah Palin has more applicable experience than he does. In response, he completely ignores Palin’s status as governor, and then makes the claim that a campaign counts as executive experience:
AC: Some Republican critics say, you don’t have the experience to handle a situation like this [Hurricane Gustav]. They’ve in fact said that Governor Palin has more executive experience as mayor of a small town and as governor of a big state like Alaska. What’s your response?
BO: Well, you know, my understanding is that, uh, Governor Palin’s town of Wasilly [sic] has, uh, 50 employees, uh, uh, we’ve got 2500, uh, in this campaign. I think their budget is maybe $12 million a year. Uh, uh, we have a budget of about three times that just for the month. Uh, so I think that, uh, our ability to manage large systems, uh, and to, uh, execute, uh, I think has been made clear over the last couple of years. Uh, and certainly, in terms of, uh, the legislation that I’ve passed just dealing with this issue post-Katrina, uh, of how we handle emergency management. The fact that, uh, many of my recommendations were adopted and are being put in place, uh, as we speak indicates to extent to which we can provide the kinds of support and good service that the American people expect.
And, in different exchange:
Ron Allen (MSNBC): To be fair, her resume is not something that we’re familiar seeing with a presidential candidate.
Newt Gingrich: It’s stronger than, stronger than Barack Obama’s! I don’t know why you guys walk around saying this baloney.
She has a stronger resume than Obama. She’s been a real mayor, he hasn’t. She’s been a real Governor, he hasn’t. She’s been in charge of the Alaska National Guard, he hasn’t. She was a whistleblower who defeated an incumbent mayor, he’s never once shown that kind of courage. She’s a whistleblower who turned in the chairman of her own party and got him fined $12,000. I’ve never seen Obama do one thing like that. She took on the incumbent Governor of her own party and beat him, and then she beat a former Democratic Governor in the general election. I don’t know of a single thing Obama has done except talk and write. And, and I’d like you to tell me one thing you think Senator Obama has done.
Ron Allen (MSNBC): Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker, we’re gonna leave it there, I’m not gonna argue the case. Thanks very much. Keith, back to you.