The Experienced Democrat?

Some months ago, I said that I thought Senator Barack Obama ought to take a pass on the 2008 presidential race. Though undeniably brilliant and someone it's easy to see in the White House, I said that his sparse Washington experience might be insufficient.

But I was shocked to hear this Linda Wertheimer report on NPR today. African-American women torn between supporting Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton were interviewed and several said that Clinton was the more experienced of the two.

I suppose it's how one measures experience. But when considering elective political experience, of the three Democratic frontrunners--Obama, Clinton, and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, Obama has the most experience. By my reckoning, counting his time in the Illinois state legislature, Obama has spent twelve years in elective office. Clinton has just over six years and Edwards has six, from his single term in the Senate.

Whichever of these three is nominated for the presidency, if any of them become the eventual nominee, will have to bring someone onto their ticket to shore up questions about experience deficiencies. (The way George W. Bush attempted to do in 2000, when he brought Dick Cheney onto his ticket.) But the one with the least experience deficiencies is Obama.

[Note: I wrote a bit about this experience issue, raised repeatedly by Senator Clinton, here.]

[THANKS TO: Deborah White at About.com's U.S. Liberals site for linking to this piece in a very interesting post weighing the debate among Democrats regarding Clinton v. Obama.]

I'm Praying for Elizabeth and John Edwards...and Asking You for Prayers

I've laughed at John Edwards' primping, defended his capacity to empathize with the poor, and decried Ann Coulter's assault on him. But who could help but be impressed with the Edwardses today as they talked about the recurrence of Elizabeth Edwards' cancer? And who could resist the thought, irrespective of one's politics, that if Elizabeth thinks this highly of John Edwards, maybe all of us should consider his substance as well?

We sometimes forget that these public figures are real human beings. The reappearance of cancer in this vital, intelligent, and funny woman's life reminds us all of our common humanity.

I'm praying for the Edwardses!

And speaking of praying, could I ask readers of this blog to add a young man named Ian to your prayers? He's a seventeen year old member of our congregation who is recovering from a major mishap, sustained while he was trying to earn extra credit for an assignment at school. Please ask God to give him complete healing. Thanks!

Okay, I've Defended John Edwards...

against those who said that his wealth necessarily meant that his expressed concerns for the poor are phony and, implicitly, in my reaction to Ann Coulter's recent eruption of bad taste. But this is funny.