Holy crap. I finally agree with Dick Cheney about something. Over the weekend, the former Vice President was asked by ABC’s Jonathan Hart about Sarah Palin. His reply:
I like Governor Palin. I’ve met her. I know her, but based on her background, she had only been governor for, what, two years? I don’t think she passed that test of being ready to take over. And I think that was a mistake.
Keep in mind that when Cheney was hired by Dubya to find a good running mate, the only one he thought qualified for the job was himself, and we all know how that turned out. But that’s not today’s topic. For that, we turn to his daughter, Liz Cheney, who posted this remarkable tweet yesterday:
Rarely do I disagree with best VP ever, but @SarahPalinUSA more qualified than Obama and Biden combined. Huge respect for all she’s done 4 GOP.
Let’s begin our analysis with the second sentence (“all she’s done 4 GOP”), which is clearly false. Palin’s done much more for herself than for the Republican Party, which is why she has virtually no national role anymore other than as yet another propaganda spewer on Fox News (just like Liz Cheney). She does have a lot in common with George W. Bush, in that neither of them had any influence on this year’s presidential campaigns, and neither of them will be allowed to speak at the Republican National Convention next month. On the other hand, the Palins are kicking Obama’s and Biden’s butts in the reality TV show category, as this list from the Charlotte Observer proves:
For those keeping count at home, we’ve had TLC’s “Sarah Palin’s Alaska,” which featured the entire Palin family against one of the most beautiful backdrops in television; Bristol’s first stint on “Dancing With the Stars,” followed by a never-aired Bio channel “reality” show featuring Bristol, her son Tripp and her fellow “Dancing” alum Kyle Massey that was apparently re-purposed –without Massey — to become her current Lifetime show, “Bristol Palin: Life’s a Tripp,” which has also featured the rest of her family, including her sister Willow; and now “Stars Earn Stripes,” in which Alaska’s former First Dude will compete with the likes of Laila Ali and Nick Lachey to raise money for military and first-responder charities by participating in challenges based on military exercises.
Back to the first sentence of Liz’s tweet, in which she claims Palin was “more qualified than Obama and Biden combined.” Let’s check the facts, rounding up to whole years to give everyone a little more credit:
- Barack Obama: 4 years as US Senator, preceded by 8 years as an Illinois state senator.
- Joe Biden: 26 years as US Senator, preceded by 2 years as a county councilman in Delaware.
- Sarah Palin: 3 years as Alaska Governor, preceded by 4 years as mayor of Wasilla, preceded by 4 years on Wasilla county council.
That’s 11 years in public office for Palin, 34 years in public office for Obama/Biden. I guess, by GOP thinking, where all government is evil and should be eradicated, the less time you spend in public office the more qualified you are for public office. Math, like science, isn’t important.
By Liz Cheney’s logic, Sarah Palin is more qualified to be her father than Dick Cheney.