Palin Suggests Executive Experience Is Key Presidential Attribute

By: Scott Conroy
Topics: Scott Conroy

(CBS)

From CBS News' Scott Conroy:

(JEFFERSON CITY, MO.) - Here on her second stop of a six-rally final day of the campaign, Sarah Palin briefly went off script to question whether a United States senator has the right kind of experience to be president.

Palin set up her remarks with a familiar attack on Barack Obama's relative newcomer status.

"If you think about it, Barack Obama's record, what is in his record?" she asked the crowd of over 15,000 who were gathered around the state capitol. "What has he accomplished? He spent about 300 days in the U.S. Senate before becoming a presidential candidate."

Then Palin went off script to voice the frustrations she had shared with her husband.

"Todd and I were talking about this, has he ever wielded a veto pen?" she asked. "Has he ever had to make the tough decisions on how to govern best for the people whom he should be held accountable to?"

Neither Obama nor Palin's running mate, John McCain, has ever been in a position to veto a bill, as Palin has in her role as governor of Alaska. Still, Palin said that McCain had the right kind of experience needed to be president.

"He is untested, as his own running mate said, throughout the primaries Joe Biden said, 'You're not ready for the presidency,'" Palin said. "And his other opponents in the primary, too, said, 'You're not ready to be the president.' Now John McCain is. We need a leader who is ready on day one."

Scott Conroy
Scott Conroy is a National Political Reporter for RealClearPolitics and a contributor for CBS News.
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by singlasalil8 November 4, 2008 12:46 PM EST: All I can say is people of America know who is better for them. A person is known and judged by the policies and ideas.
There is a lot about Palin that people don%u2019t know.
Dailysource.org has a lot of evidence on Palin%u2019s current political views and actions, which presents her high and low career points as Alaskan Governor. Go to http://dailysource.org/palinvideos to see it.; Reply to this comment


by talaan77 November 4, 2008 3:21 AM EST: All I need to know is that there is a possibility of Palin being president; Reply to this comment


by joe_in_calif November 4, 2008 12:50 AM EST: TUCH67,

Hello?? 9/11 happened in 2001, not 2002.
I''m tired of people saying that John McCain is a war hero. Tell me, how many wars has he won? Getting shot down in Vietnam doesn''t count in my book. This is a guy who sings, "bomb bomb Iran", confuses Shiite with Sunni militants, and tells us that "we''re all Georgians". If he''s elected president, I would feel less safe, not more, because McCain is liable to get us into wars in places that most of us have not even heard about. He showed his priorities when he said in the 3rd debate that he would put a cross-the-board cut on all expenditures, EXCEPT for the military. What kind of leadership is that? Also, just contrast his judgment to that of Obama in the 2 major decisions the past 2 months - the selection of a VP and the financial melt-down. Did he really put "country first" in picking Sarah Palin after meeting with her only once for 15 minutes? And what''s with this lame idea of "suspending" his campaign to go back to DC to ... do what ? No, the choice is so clear. Obama all the way.; Reply to this comment


by sanjoydas1-2009 November 4, 2008 12:11 AM EST: I wouldn''t trust that doofus Palin with my car keys, forget the world''s largest "nucular weaponry".; Reply to this comment


by tina9876 November 4, 2008 12:04 AM EST: Sarah Palin is right. Obama is not ready to be president. McCain is ready on day one. Sarah Palin is more qualified than Obama on day one. Why would anyone in there right mind vote for a guy with no executive experience, no military experience, and someone who is very secretive. I find Obama very sneaky. My gut tells me he is a master at manipulation.

I am voting McCain/Palin; Reply to this comment


by tuch67 November 3, 2008 11:10 PM EST: Did everyone forget 9/11/2002???? Our country was attacked by terrorists hell bent on destroying OUR SYSTEM! Now you think that having someone UNTESTED in office will be good? Are you all nuts? The terrorists KNOW to avoid McCain... he will get us out of IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN but ONLY when it is safe for US AS A COUNTRY. Not when it is politically correct. Tax cuts for big business mean MORE jobs for the smaller people... LIKE ME! Who has the power to supply jobs? Only big business... and small businesses who feed off of them. If we raise taxes and support OBAMA we will all feel the crush of DEPRESSION in the U.S. --- VOTE MCCAIN/PALIN or pay with your lives and jobs. Mark my words... we will suffer another attack ON OUR SOIL if OBAMA is in office. He is weak and a prime target for terrorists... who gets picked on at the playground... NOT THE BIG KID... but the guy who wants everyone to be his friend. VOTE McCAIN/PALIN!; Reply to this comment


by reuelt November 3, 2008 11:09 PM EST: Obama is unfit & even dangerous to be elected.

Voters should give him another 20 years to prove himself (in the senate).

McCain & Palin is best for USA at this point in time.; Reply to this comment


by tuch67 November 3, 2008 11:07 PM EST: Did everyone forget 9/11/2002???? Our country was attacked by terrorists hell bent on destroying OUR SYSTEM! Now you think that having someone UNTESTED in office will be good? Are you all nuts? The terrorists KNOW to avoid McCain... he will get us out of IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN but ONLY when it is safe for US AS A COUNTRY. Not when it is politically correct. Tax cuts for big business mean MORE jobs for the smaller people... LIKE ME! Who has the power to supply jobs? Only big business... and small businesses who feed off of them. If we raise taxes and support OBAMA we will all feel the crush of DEPRESSION in the U.S. --- VOTE MCCAIN/PALIN or pay with your lives and jobs. Mark my words... we will suffer another attack ON OUR SOIL if OBAMA is in office. He is weak and a prime target for terrorists... who gets picked on at the playground... NOT THE BIG KID... but the guy who wants everyone to be his friend. VOTE McCAIN/PALIN!; Reply to this comment


by rmstitanic1 November 3, 2008 10:50 PM EST: America can survive under the McCain / Palin ticket. How anyone can vote for Obama and call themself a Christian is beyond me. He is for abortion. He is untested, he has no experience and his following is cultlike.; Reply to this comment


by russ4america November 3, 2008 9:36 PM EST: And Palin, true to form, lies to the bitter end.

And McCain, true to form, lies to the bitter end.

And the republican party, true to form, lies to the bitter end.

And the McCain/Palin supporters, true to form, lie to the bitter end.

The one thing in common here is that tomorrow, November 4, 2008, will be the bitter end of the McCain/Palin campaign. They lied themselves into a corner. And the voters will show them the way out.

VOTE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE UNITED STATES!

OBAMA/BIDEN 2008!; Reply to this comment