How many American voters proclaim Barack Obama doesn't have the experience to be President of the United States? A lot. What experience does he need to have under his belt in order to quell these claims?

Is it because he's too young? Is eight years in the Illinois state legistature coupled with his three years as U.S. senator not enough? Oh, what about his twelve years as a law professor at the University of Chicago Law School, or his tenure as editor of the Harvard Law Review, or his board duties on the Chicago Annenberg Challenge (seven years), the Joyce Foundation (eight years), the Woods Fund of Chicago (nine years), and the Lugenis Burns House Center, and the founding executive director of Public Allies Chicago? And don't forget his community organization job on the south side of Chicago (fresh out of Harvard Law School).

Or just maybe his "lack of experience" is code for "I can't vote for a black man".

Well, perhaps we should examine his predecessors and their qualifications. Let's start with Harry S. Truman, the 33rd President of the U.S. What were his credentials?

Harry Truman's biography (source: www.Wikipedia.org):

College Degree: none;

Early Years: Graduated from high school in 1901; worked as a timekeeper on the Santa Fe Railroad, sleeping in hobo camps near the rail lines; moved on to cleircal jobs, returning to the family farm in 1906; spent nine years on the farm until joining the military in 1917; served in World War 1, achieving rank of Captain;

Business Experience: farmer and owner of a haberdashery, which went bankrupt in 1921;

Professional Memberships: Ku Klux Klan, dues paying member 1922 ($10);

Political Office: elected Jackson County Judge, 1922-1934, U.S. Senator 1934-1945; Vice President 1945 (82 days); President 1945 - 1953;

Wikipedia Observations: Truman had been vice president for only 82 days when President Roosevelt died on 12 April, 1945. He had had very little meaningful communication with Roosevelt about world affairs or domestic politics after being sworn in as vice president, and was completely uninformed about major initiatives relating to the successful prosecution of the war—notably the top secret Manhattan Project, which was about to test the world's first atomic bomb;

Miscellaneous: known to frequently use racial slurs to include the "N" word; only person in the history of the world to use nuclear weapons;

Personal Letters: A few days after his presidential swearing in, he wrote to his wife, Bess: "It won't be long until I can sit back and study the whole picture and. . . there'll be no more to this job than there was to running Jackson County and not anymore worry."

How does Truman's experience compare to Obama? Can you see any Sarah Palin in this story line?

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive