Comparing Experience

Pat Buchanan needs help with logic:

And her [Palin's] experience as governor of Alaska, dealing with the oil industry and pipeline agreements with Canada, certainly compares favorably with that of Barack Obama, a community organizer who dealt in the mommy issues of food stamps and rent subsidies.

To begin with, comparing the pinnacle of Palin's career (governor) with Obama's first job out of college is pretty facile. One could similarly argue that Obama's experience as a U.S. Senator compares favorably with Palin's experience running a snowmobile store.

Secondly, I'd be interested to know what kind of pipeline agreements Palin was entering into with Canada. My understanding is that the Constitution requires the federal government to handle relations with our neighbors...

Finally, it's pretty ridiculous for Buchanan to downplay issues like poverty, housing and job training that Obama worked on as a community issue as "mommy issues." Buchanan's terminology is sexist, and these are critical issues that touch the lives of millions of Americans. They're certainly much more legitimate than Palin's mayoral campaign platform of increasing recreational opportunities and increasing public input to the City Council.