Sarah Palin has energized the Republican base since John McCain picked her as his vice-presidential running mate, but one prominent Republican is not impressed.
Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Republican, is questioning whether Palin has enough foreign-policy experience to serve as the country’s second-in-command. “She doesn’t have any foreign policy credentials,” Hagel told the Omaha World-Herald. “You get a passport for the first time in your life last year? I mean, I don’t know what you can say. You can’t say anything.”
“I think they ought to be just honest about it and stop the nonsense about, ‘I look out my window and I see Russia and so therefore I know something about Russia,” he added. “That kind of thing is insulting to the American people.”
A conservative Vietnam War veteran and outspoken critic of the Iraq War, Hagel has cultivated a reputation as somebody unafraid to buck his party.
Hagel traveled with Democratic candidate Barack Obama to Afghanistan in July and was mentioned as a possible Obama running mate. He had kind words for Obama’s eventual pick, Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden.
“An Obama-Biden ticket is a very impressive and strong team,” Hagel said in August.
photo: REUTERS/Ali Jarekji (Obama and Hagel visit Amman, Jordan in July 2008)
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Experience?? PLEASE!! Lefties think that Sara Palin in unqualified for VP — citing her inexperience. But they seem to have no problem with Obama having even LESS governmental experience … and he’s at the HEAD OF THE TICKET! She’s in an understudy position! It’s really the most hypocritical garbage I ever heard. Obama wants to tout his “running for office as experience … that’s a good one, and almost factual! He’s really never done much besides running for office — after becoming a U.S. Senator, he couldn’t wait to blow out of town go after the next job. People of Illinois!! — why don’t you DEMAND that he do the job that you just recently gave him. I mean, don’t you feel just a little bit used?
- Posted by Matt LantiereSara Palin has a job running a state government, without any of the luxuries of voting PRESENT. Joe Biden said that the office of President was no place for on-the-job training — but that’s exactly one of the duties of a VP.
I’m from Nebraska and didn’t vote for this so-called Republican clown and am very glad he is leaving office. He came in from living out of state for a number of years claiming to be a Nebraskan while all along living and working in DC. Ran for the Senate seat here and was elected. He has never represented Nebraska as he did as he wanted and not what his constituents wanted. Good riddence to him.
- Posted by FEIs Hagel a midget or is Obama just that tall?
- Posted by PorkyThanks for your “expert” opinion Sen. Hagel.
- Posted by DianaI think we’ve had enough of what you and your colleagues call “qualifications”. You show what a snob you are by saying Gov. Palin is not the kind of American we need to lead in this country.
Hey, guess what!! We’ve had enough of people like you who think they know how to lead our country in the right direction. Look where that has gotten us in the past few decades: wars, wars, wars, trillions of wasteful gov’t
spending of our tax money, near police state legislation, ever expanding reach and size of federal gov’t, debt, debt, debt, etc.
And to all the people who think Americans who support the McCain-Palin ticket are “intolerant/uneducated rednecks” that just shows how out of touch you are with reality. You think that anyone who disagrees or doesn’t think with your worldview is ignorant. Just because we didn’t take federal funds for our education or go deeply into debt by supporting the out of date “higher education system” but instead chose to educate ourselves and develop objective/alternative viewpoints doesn’t mean we don’t have a brain or can’t think intelligently. Yes, I went to college but I’ve learned alot more by reading and studying on my own from many sources rather than just the one prescribed in schools today.
She has more experience than obama who has NEVER been successful at any job. Foreign policy experience chairing a committe which hasn’t met, majoring in foreign relations at Columbia??? Does the comment 57 states tell you anything. Mr. I vote Present is clueless about the real world and obviously hasn’t lived in it–check his lifestyle. Take or give money anything but actually EARN IT. Millions of dollars from Fannie and Freddy to his financial advisors, millions to programs with no oversight, and bankrolled by a convicted felon for 3 campaigns. Obama, what a great man!!!
- Posted by FrankNice try, Andy. There is not a conservative anything associated with Hagel (RINO-NE).
- Posted by artgrrlChuck Hagel is a fool, he’ll probably vote for the “experienced” Barack Obama for president. How can anyone say Sarah Palin is inexperienced is amazing, especially considering she is only running for the VP Spot and Obama who has less experience than Palin is running for the top spot. Palin has eight years executive experience, two years of which running the State of Alaska. Bill Clinton had only been governor of Arkansas when he was elected president. Palin also has experience running a business, she has strong conservative beliefs and the determination of a bulldog. Hagel is nothing but a RINO who is hated by everyone anyway.
- Posted by Dr_MoonHow odd, indeed. Aside the fact that Hagel’s sympathy has resided in the Democratic Candidate ( I guess he is the de facto Republican version of Joe Lieberman), He must forget that Palin is only the VP candidate, where his candidate, admitted or not, is also lacking in the same area, and is at the top of the ticket. Why else would BO go against his so called principles and have someone on the ticket who has been in Washington longer than John McCain. It is PRECISELY because Barack has no experience either, other than serving a number of months on a committee or two. Whoopie-do, he made a tour oversees, which was nothing more than a campaign swing, and photo ops. He also touted his early childhood living oversees.
Quite clearly either candidate forms their policy with a team of advisers, and both have their own set formed primarily out of, and of, the Council of Foreign Relations, which by the way if not for the Obamas’ early affiliation with Breszinski, and others, he would not have been put into the place where he would have made a run, first for the Senate, and then for the Presidency.
This experience canard, as well as other bogus issues brought up by these ‘campaigns’ are just distractions from bigger issues, foisted upon a public that merely reiterates the slogans out of the 2 camps.
What we really need are totally open debates where other candidates, who are now locked out of the system can participate. Then maybe more of us citizens can make a truly or at least better informed decision. Hard enough since the ‘media’ is repsonsible for disemination of this ‘information’, and does so for the most part with a huge lack of journalistic integrity.
Jeff
- Posted by Jeff BHow impressive. If anyone with any brains can read Sen.Hussein Obamas RESUME for CEO of the U.S.of A. one must conclude he does not have the credientials to be President or Vice President. Saying he has the Credientials to be CEO of the U.S. is like the Board of Directors of Microsoft electing a Manager with 143 days of experience in their company to be the CEO. GET REAL! Sen. Obama has no Resume to run anything.
- Posted by chuck kiddChuck Hagel has always been a wishy-washy politician. He is just the type the libs love.
- Posted by Rodney JacksonAs we say in French: “Ouf” (Finally), somebody who dares to say loud what everybody thinks secretly. I would’not choose this girl to educate my daughters nor to run a company. How can she be the governor of a state, even a small one? Sarah, go back to your small town, have a look on Russia from your kitchen window, and take care of your little baby. Christmal will be perfect time for you as a grandmother. Enjoy and leave the stage for really educated and open-minded persons who know where other continents are located.
- Posted by MARIANNE SHAWMarianne Shaw, French, Aerobatic Flight Instructor
Why is no one asking for Obama’s Foreign policy Credentials Or to the matter of fact if he has any legit credentials ?
- Posted by PSRemember Palin is contesting as VP where as OBAMA as President with NO Credentials. Atleast Palin has Executive experience running atleast a small town and a state where as OBAMA or BIDEN have none of these.
Wow! Sour grapes. Jealous. Hagel obviously has no problems with Obama’s experience! It was shameful to see him playing second and third fiddle to Obama on his overseas trip. Hagel has had ambitions - but cannot understand why on earth he cannot fire up people’s imagination. Accept it Chuck - You are as dull as they come - so why don’t you just recognize a charismatic person instead of taking revenge on McCain - by supporting Obama. Why the hell are you a Republican??
- Posted by JayChuck Hagel a Consevative Republican? Who accused him of that? He is a RINO. That is what is wrong with the Republican Party today, to many RINO’s and not enough Elephants.Listening to him talk I get the feeling that when he was in Vietnam he must have been serving with that other self proclaimed hero John Kerry.
- Posted by savage24Our professional politicians and our “foreign policy experts” have given us the wonderful state of the world today. So I guess what we need is more of the same. I am tired of this old, worn out liberal cannard. Look at Europe. I find it totally amusing that they should lecture us!!! What a joke. Then we have the intellectual who can only make disparaging, hateful, bigotted comments. So much for her brain. We should listen to you? The we have the one who tells us Obama has four years experience on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has only been in the Senate two years. Silly partisan. You should get your facts straight first. Anyway, I will take the fresh blood. Let the “intellectuals”, and Euro-snobs wring their collective hands. Look in the mirror and marvel at yourself.
- Posted by MarcWhy is no one asking for Obama\’s Foreign policy Or to the matter of fact any lagitimate credentials he has?
- Posted by PaulRemember Palin is contesting as VP where as OBAMA as President with NO Credentials. Atleast Palin has Executive experience running atleast a small town and a state where as OBAMA or BIDEN have none of these.
You notice Hagel praises the Biden pick and calls it a “very impressive and strong team. He doesn’t praise Obama’s experience which even he knows is far less than Palin’s. This is an argument that only works against the “Chosen One” - 143 Days as a Senator before he starts traveling the country running for President. You hypocrites that want to go after Palin, THE BOTTOM OF THE GOP TICKET IS MORE EXPERIENCED THAN THE TOP OF THE DUMMYCRATS! END OF STORY! Just because she isn’t an elitist Ivy League snob doesn’t mean she isn’t qualified.
- Posted by JpsraiderFrankly, as a conservative, I question Chuck Hagel as a Republican. Why doesn’t old Chuckie just join the Democrat party and be done with it. And take the other RINOs with him.
- Posted by BobSarah Palin speaks about herself as serving the people. She spoke this way when she was a city councilor, a mayor, a governor, and now a candidate for VP. She means it. She does behave that way when in office. I never heard of Hagel. He is dissing his own party’s candidate. He is dissing people who support her and have responded to her with enthusiasm. He is shooting his own party. What a loser he is. What is he, jealous?
- Posted by Christine HelrigelShould we be worries about Palin’s “lack of experience” because the guys with all of the experience have done such a great job? I think not.
- Posted by OverhaulMaybe her abundance of experience in rooting out corruption is what really worries these Washington types.