A Running Commentary

Ever since the infamous Clinton “Red Phone” commercial, observers have been asking just what experience Ms. Clinton has that makes her so much more qualified than Barack Obama. After drawing an initial blank, her campaign has advanced a host of tenuous examples, including claims that she help bring peace to Northern Ireland. In honor of Saint Patrick’s weekend, then, here is a quote from Irish political leader David Trimble (made March 8, 2008 to The Daily Telegraph):

I don’t know that there was much she did apart from accompanying Bill going around…I don’t want to rain on the thing for her but being a cheerleader for something is slightly different from being a principle player.

Of course, as Charles Krauthammer and others have identified, the “Red Phone” commercial is not really about experience so much as familiarity. In other words, do you really know and trust this guy Barack Obama? Democrats may bemoan their extended primary season but as questions endure about Obama’s close relationship with his vitriolic, bigoted pastor of 20+ years, perhaps it’s a good question.