Obama's lightning-strike response to charges he lacks the experience to be president is, in essence, 'At least I have more wisdom than my opponent(s).'
The signature exhibit in his case is the vote on the Iraq War. He spoke out against it before entering the senate. Hillary, like McCain, voted for it. As the war has proven to be a blunder of epic proportions, the logic goes, all the years of experience of his colleagues ain't worth but a fraction of his native wisdom. As an Obama surrogate put it in a public memo:
Barack Obama has a very simple case. On the most important commander in chief test of our generation, he got it right, and Senator Clinton got it wrong.
So what does Obama say about Biden's vote for the Iraq War? And does Obama value Biden's experience?
I ask, since in the run-up to the war, Biden jumped to Bush's defense, stating:
"He did not snub the U.N. or our allies. He did not dismiss a new inspection regime. He did not ignore the Congress. At each pivotal moment, he has chosen a course of moderation and deliberation."
As we all know, Bush did in fact do either the exact or in-spirit opposite of what Biden said Bush did every step of the way. Even if what Biden had said had been true, I wonder why he felt the need to jump to Bush's defense. I wonder if Obama wonders, too.
In supporting the Iraq War Resolution, Biden stated in October of 2002:
"I do not believe this is a rush to war. I believe it is a march to peace and security. I believe that failure to overwhelmingly support this resolution is likely to enhance the prospects that war will occur."
Do we think Obama regards this kind of Orwellian doublespeak as an example of change we can believe in? Or of the triumph of wisdom over experience?
Hope Jon Stewart doesn't have an itch to make Obama or Biden look silly. His people could have field day with this stuff. And then the news media will notice, and then we're not in such a happy place.