So if Clinton had not gone to Georgetown in the 1960s, and instead went to the University of Arkansas and got a degree in communications he would not have been qualified to be President in 1992?
Obama strongly considered Kaine. Kaine was in his top 3 picks, so the fact that he ended up going with Biden is irrelevant considering what were discussing.
I've never stated that Obama is not qualified to be President. But given the scrutiny of Palin, I'm curious as to when others think Obama became Qualified to be President.
Do you think Obama was qualified or "prepared" to be President in January 2007? November 2004? Sometime earlier than November 2004?
I think you're missing the point on multiple fronts. First, with regard to Kaine: It truly doesn't matter whether or not he is prepared to be President. Yes, he was vetted thoroughly and was one of the top picks for a long time because he had many other appealing attributes about him. But the fact of the matter is this: Barack Obama himself decided that he was not prepared to be POTUS. No one here is saying that he was prepared. Obama is not saying Kaine was prepared. Why are you asking us to come up with a reason to say he was? The difference between Kaine and Palin is this: While neither has the full package of preparedness, Obama deemed Kaine inappropriate, while McCain somehow decided Palin was ready. People can sit here and point out why Kaine wasn't ready, but there's no need to argue that he was because he's simply not being put up to the task. Palin, on the other hand, has been thrust into the position. It makes so much sense to ask if she is ready. Wondering if Kaine would be ready is like writing a thesis paper on whether Germany would've won WWII if they hadn't marched through Russia-----it's a totally pointless debate.
The other point you're missing is that there is no magic, single experience, no one credential that makes one ready to be POTUS. This is why people who argue that McCain's having been in the military is a free pass to the White House are missing something IMO. I'm not arguing that having been in the SFS is the thing that made Clinton ready. Rather, it's part of a full package.
Do I think that having had a somewhat rocky tenure as mayor of a town of 5,000 people for a half dozen years makes one ready to be POTUS? No. Do I think that having a 1 1/2 year tenure as governor of one of the country's least populated, most remote states makes one ready? No. Do I think that those two things combined make one ready? Not at all.
Here's a list of just a few things that Obama has in his corner off the top of my head...but note, not a single one of which in an of itself makes him ready: A successful political career in one of the nation's toughest state governments. A position of central, national importance as Senator, dealing with a wealth of national issues. The ability to lead people and have them enthusiastically follow him, as evidenced from post-college through to today. Positions on important congressional committees, making decisions that only a handful in the country get to make. The writing and passing of a handful of fairly important bills---more important than what many freshman senators get to make in their first term. A vision that combines answers to many of America's dilemmas into single solutions (for instance, his plans on making alternative energy a huge, important American industry attacks the problems of the economy, energy dependence, and the environment in one swoop), fighting the heart of America's problems and nurtures the heart of America itself (I view his emphasis on service and, again, the alternative energy industry plans as no less crucial to the economy and infrastructure of today than the Tennessee Valley Authority and the CCC were in the Great Depression). If you'll grant me the "fluff" of personal stuff, since that's what we're allowing Palin to use...She went to the PTA when her first kid was in elementary school, but not since. Obama went to PTA meetings through the first part of the primaries. You want a personal story attached to the President? This guy is the friggin'
American Story, pulling himself from a societal limbo up to Harvard Law, the Senate, and a history-making run for President of the United States.
Those were just a few. Now to the campaign. You may say that the campaign shouldn't be counted. Was he ready before the campaign? Maybe not. Hell, I was a Biden guy at the start of the race. But to not take the weight of the campaign seriously would be the greatest folly. During the last year and a half, Obama's run one of the most impressive campaigns in history. He and his camp took down the Clinton Machine--what should've been the most formidable political machine in modern politics. His message has inspired record turnouts in voters on all sides (Clinton wouldn't have garnered so many votes if it were only Clinton vs. Edwards). He won the support, confidence, and services of the brightest political and economic minds--even capturing many ex-Clintonites. Fiscally, the campaign has been a behemoth, garnering more money than any campaign in history--much of it from large numbers of people donating small amounts. Of the final three (Obama, Clinton, McCain), Obama's is the only one that didn't achieve or near bankruptcy--a fact that I believe should be exploited in the election in a year when the economy is such a major issue. The man can run a nationwide monster of a machine. Add to that the "fluff" of inspiring Americans in a way that many haven't felt ever, inspiring the country and people around the world to believe in an America that the world has not seen for half a century--not just with elegant words, but with
ideas that capture the hearts and minds of many.
That's just off the top of my head.
Do I think that there is one single thing in there that defined Obama's readiness to be President of the United States? No. It's the whole package. And that package is a
hell of a lot more impressive than a few years as mayor of a 5,000-person town and a year and a half as governor of Alaska.
Being a Georgetown grad myself, I have a lot of friends who were in the SFS...it's no cakewalk. The students in that program have had more debate, research, and product related to foreign affairs than Palin had up to her first weekend as VP pick.
