Experience

The Carpetbagger Report makes a good point about the relative experience of the best known presidential candidates. Neither Clinton, Edwards or Romney can push the point very far against Obama. In the end it depends on what you think of a state Senatorship.

And one last word about experience. Clearly, in his third year in the U.S. Senate, Obama enters the presidential race with the least federal experience among the leading Democrats. But I have a hunch this isn’t going to hold up as a credible knock on Obama’s candidacy, and here’s why:

Years in elected office:

* Obama: 10 years (7 state Senate, 3 U.S. Senate)
* Clinton: 8 years (8 U.S. Senate)
* Edwards: 6 years (6 U.S. Senate)
* Giuliani: 8 years (two, four-year mayoral terms)
* Romney: 4 years (one four-year gubernatorial term)
* McCain: 25 years (4 U.S. House, 21 U.S. Senate)

In this respect, Obama’s background doesn’t look that thin, does it?