Nice try Bill, but no sale

Bill Clinton’s speech last night was vintage Clinton. And there is no question that to those will not dig under his words, it was effective. But it was vintage in another way as well – it was quite deceptive.

For instance:

He recalled that 16 years ago “Republicans said I was too young and too inexperienced to be commander in chief. Sound familiar? It didn’t work in 1992 … and it will not work in 2008.”

Of course the rap against Obama isn’t he’s “too young” as Clinton would have you believe, but that he is too inexperienced. When Clinton ran, he had been a governor of a state for over 10 years. So he literally had 10 times the executive experience Obama so clearly lacks.

There is no comparison between a governor of 10 years and a community organizer with a couple of years in the Senate.

But it was a nice try at reframing the argument against Obama in an attempt to neutralize it. For those able to think independently, it didn’t work, however.

The rest, from both he and Biden, was mostly declaration and assertion:

Earlier, former president Bill Clinton put aside divisions of the primary season and delivered an enthusiastic endorsement, saying “Barack Obama is ready to be president of the United States.”

Clinton said Obama’s heritage and experience give him “a unique capacity to lead our increasingly diverse nation” and restore its leadership in the world.

“He has the intelligence and curiosity every successful president needs,” the former president said. “His policies on the economy, taxes, health care and energy are far superior to the Republican alternatives. … The long, hard primary tested and strengthened him.

He’s ready because of his “heritage”? “Curiosity”? “Intelligence”? Clinton just described 100 million people – and probably half of them have executive experience.

Obama’s resume is so thin that his most ardent backers (and even those who aren’t quite as ardent as they pretend to be) are reduced to “heritage, curiosity and intelligence” as major qualifications for the office.

Accomplishments? Not yet – but if you like potential, elect him president and let him try out his first executive job in the White House. Yeah, that’s the ticket.

The McCain answer?

[Crossposted at QandO]

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