by John M. Curtis
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Copyright Octorber 1, 2007
All Rights Reserved.

aught in a two-way race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il.), finds himself hammered by the Clinton campaign for his youth and inexperience. Barack is virtually the same age as former president Bill Clinton when he ran against former president George H.W. Bush in 1992. Yet the Clintons have seized upon Barack's “inexperience” to cement the inevitability of her nomination. President George W. Bush prognosticated last week that Hillary would win the nomination and lose the general election, tipping his hand to prevailing wisdom inside the Republican Party, namely, that they'd rather run against Hillary in '08. “The same old experience is not relevant . . . And you can have the right kind of experience and the wrong kind of experience,” Bill Clinton said while debating in 1992, contradicting the argument that Obama lacks experience.

      Barack finds himself “Swift Boated” by the Clintons for his “lack” of experience, something that seems to be working, considering his slippage in national polls vis á vis Hillary. When Barack said, as president, he would go after Osama bin Laden, if needed, in the ungoverned tribal lands inside Pakistan, both Hillary and the GOP slammed him for his lack of foreign policy experience. When Barack said he would take nukes off the table, Hillary said a president, or presidential candidate, should never take options off the table. When Obama also said he would meet face-to-face with world-leaders, no matter how tyrannical, Hillary slapped Barack for being naïve and inexperienced. “Hillary distinguished herself and showed that she has the strength and experience to the next president,” said a Hilary campaign memo after the July 23 debate, calling Barack “irresponsible and frankly naïve” for suggesting he would meet with rogue world leaders.

      When Bush took office, he had served as governor of Texas for six years. Before that, Bush held no elective office, working in the oil business and former owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team. Bush's domestic and foreign policy team hark back to the Nixon administration, where Vice President Dick Cheney and former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld cut their teeth in government service. Forty years of collective experience gave Bush some of the worst advice, especially the decision to topple Saddam Hussein. Cheney and former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell warned during the first Gulf War in 1991 that toppling Saddam would create power vacuum and spread Islamic extremism in the region. All the wisdom of Bush's key White House advisors with experience from six past presidents resulted in one of the worst foreign policy mistakes in the nation's history.

      Attacking Barack's experience is no different as a strategy than “Swift Boat Veteran's for Truth” hammering 2004 Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) about his military credentials. Kerry failed to respond forcefully, allowing GOP operatives to attack his credibility. Obama faces the same dilemma, responding to Hillary's attacks or facing continued erosion in national opinion polls. “He can change the divisive politics of Washington because he's the one candidate who's spent his career bring people of differing views together,” said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton, countering Hillary's charge about Barack's inexperience. Former President Clinton says his wife has more experience than Barack. “Her experience is more relevant and compelling,” touting her eight years as First Lady and work on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

      Bill Clinton equates his experience in 1988 to that of Obama's, admitting he lacked the experience to run for President. He said the world back then was focused on adjusting to a post-Cold War era, not the complexities of terrorism that exists today. “We didn't have the terror threat. We didn't have troops in Iraq. We didn't have the Afghan issue hanging fire,” said Clinton, forgetting that his immediate predecessors, Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, dealt with several terrorists incidents. During Clinton's eight years, Osama bin Laden ascended as America's biggest threat, culminating, early on Bush's watch, with Sept. 11. All his experience with numerous terrorist incidents during his presidency didn't prevent the worst attack on the homeland in U.S. history. Clinton's attacks on Obama's experience could backfire when highlighting Hillary's work as First Lady.

      Ronald Reagan once said, while debating former Vice President Walter F. Mondale in 1994, “he would not exploit for political purposes his opponent's youth and inexperience.” Preparation for president has more to do with judgment and intelligence than experience. Wisdom doesn't always come from experience, as evidenced by mistakes made by the Bush administration. “We need the kind of experience that I think I bring to this race, of bringing people together,” said Obama, refuting both Bill and Hillary's charge that he lacks experience needed for president. Presidential candidates must show vision and set different priorities to prove they're qualified for the White House. Experience has its place but ultimately good judgment and common sense rule over candidates' different backgrounds. Without offering better ideas, “Swift Boating” Obama could boomerang.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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