Experience you say?

Disclaimer: I apologize for all the links and facts...it's just information to support my point.
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First of all…WAY TO GO OBAMA!

That’s right! Obama has officially secured the amount of delegates necessary to be the 2008 Democratic Nominee for President. After 52 primaries the Democratic Party can now, hopefully (and in theory), unite together and work towards winning in November.

This morning, I was watching a clip on YouTube of Barack Obama’s victory speech from Minnesota. While watching I scrolled down and read some comments STILL about Obama’s “inexperience.” Now I don’t know people’s party affiliation (not that there is a huge difference between Republicans and Democrats in the grand scheme of things), but when people talk about Obama’s “inexperience” I get pretty flustered. AND I turn to looking at the FACTS…

The current President of the United States, George W. Bush, has not been a president that many Americans have liked. According to Polling Report, Bush’s approval is down across the board, and by pretty significant margins. But, I’ll admit it…he’s “experienced.” Let’s take a look back on that “experience” that many of us may have forgotten…

“President Bush served for six years as the 46th Governor of the State of Texas” (http://2004.georgewbush.org/bios/georgewbush.asp).

“He received a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale University in 1968” (http://www.whitehouse.gov/president/biography.html).

He “served as an F-102 fighter pilot in the Texas Air National Guard” (http://www.whitehouse.gov/president/biography.html).

He “received a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School” (http://www.whitehouse.gov/president/biography.html).

He has worked in the energy business (http://www.whitehouse.gov/president/biography.html).

He has worked on his father’s Presidential campaign (http://www.whitehouse.gov/president/biography.html).

So there are a few pre-Presidential facts about President Bush. I’ll admit that even though I was not old enough to vote for him, if I was able to I probably would have based on these facts. He seems like a man that would know what he’s doing. Right?

Watch this video before we go any further… http://www.peacetakescourage.com/FactsAboutBush.html

How about a few of these facts from President Bush’s time in office…

According to American Progress, “The Bush Administration has spent more than $140 billion on a war of choice in Iraq”

According to the New York Times and a White House news release, “According to the Administration’s handpicked weapon’s inspector, Charles Duelfer, there is ‘no evidence that Hussein had passed illicit weapons material to al Qaeda or other terrorist organizations, or had any intent to do so.’ After the release of this report, Bush continued to insist, ‘There was a risk – a real risk – that Saddam Hussein would pass weapons, or materials, or information to terrorist networks’”

According to CNN.com, “After receiving a memo from the CIA in August 2001 titled ‘Bin Laden Determined to Attack America,’ President Bush continued his monthlong vacation”

According to American Progress, “According to Congressional Research Service data, the Bush Administration has underfunded security at the nation’s ports by more than $1 billion for fiscal year 2005”

According to The Washington Post, The Taipei Times and BBC News, “The Bush Administration awarded a multibillion-dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton--a company that still pays Vice President Cheney hundreds of thousands of dollars in deferred compensation each year (Cheney also has Halliburton stock options). The company then repeatedly overcharged the military for services, accepted kickbacks from subcontractors and served troops dirty food”

According to taxpayer.net and The Washington Post, “The Bush Administration relentlessly pushed an energy bill containing $23.5 billion in corporate tax breaks, much of which would have benefited major campaign contributors”

According to Fortune and dfw.com, “The Bush Administration turned a $236 billion surplus into a $422 billion deficit”

According to The Guardian, “President Bush is the first President since Herbert Hoover to have a net loss of jobs – around 800,000 – over a four-year term”

According to georgewbush.com and the Congressional Budget Office, “In 2000, candidate George W. Bush promised to protect the Social Security surplus. As President, he spent all of it”

According to nwitimes.com, “The Bush Administration underfunded the No Child Left Behind Act by $9.4 billion”

According to CBS News, “The Bush Administration stunted research that could lead to new treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes, spinal injuries, heart disease and muscular dystrophy by placing severe restrictions on the use of federal dollars for embryonic stem-cell research”

According to Bloomberg News, “President Bush signed a Medicare law that allows companies that reduce healthcare benefits for retirees to receive substantial subsidies from the government”

According to calwild.org, “The Bush Administration eliminated protections on more than 200 million acres of public lands”

According to ems.org, “The Bush Administration has proposed cutting the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency by $600 million next year”

According to hrwatch.org, “In violation of international law, the Bush Administration hid prisoners from the Red Cross so the organization couldn’t monitor their treatment”

And those are just a FEW facts about President Bush’s 8-year term in office. If you’d like to read the whole list go to http://www.thenation.com/doc/20041108/facts.

What’s my point in all of this? Well if I haven’t made that clear…the so-called “experience” that people say Obama lacks…turns out, that type of “experience” does not necessarily make you the best President ever! It has been said by Obama and many around the nation time and time again that CHANGE IS NEEDED! Hillary Clinton seems to be a great politician. A politician that I’m sure would answer the phone at 3 a.m. But, she has such a similar history in politics as does the current President (all of the following information was taken from http://www.hillaryclinton.com/about….

She was an attorney

First Lady in Arkansas

First Lady in the White House because of her husband, former President Bill Clinton

She currently is a U.S. Senator for the state of New York

Obviously, Clinton has been around the block when it comes to politics. But, it is my personal opinion that this isn’t real change. This isn’t anything new. Sure she may be better than the likes of President George W. Bush and John McCain…but I’m not that impressed by the differences.

And John McCain??? Oh man…I don’t even want to touch that one. All I have to say is, here’s a fun little site you might want to check out before heading to the polls, or if you’re a Democrat (vowing to move on to supporting McCain now that Obama has won the nomination)… http://www.bush-mccainchallenge.com/?rc=homepage

And then…check out these facts on McCain:
http://pol.moveon.org/mccain10/email.html?rc=homepage

FINALLY, for all of you out there that are bashing Obama STILL because he is “inexperienced,” take a look at his experience in, not just politics, but community service (all of the following information was taken from http://www.barackobama.com/learn/meet_barack.php):

He graduated from Columbia University

He worked as a community organizer in Chicago

He earned a law degree from Harvard

He practiced civil rights law

He taught constitutional law

He served in the Illinois State Senate for 8 years

He currently is a U.S. Senator for the state of Illinois

You can vote for who you’d like come November, but please don’t discredit someone until you really take a close look at the facts. Experience isn’t everything…it’s what you do with the experience you have that makes the difference.

PS: If you would like to watch any of the candidates’ speeches go to CNN. The quality is better than taping the television…like so many YouTubers resort to...but I shouldn't have to tell you all that.


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