2004: GOP Blasts John Edwards As Too Inexperienced To Be VP...2008: GOP Leaders Say Sarah Palin A Great VP Pick

Maybe the most remarkable thing about John McCain's (R) choice of the woefully inexperienced Sarah Palin (R) to be a heartbeat away from the oldest man who would ever be elected to the presidency, and a three-time cancer survivor, is the truly shameless hypocrisy of Republicans over this pick.

It is instructive to recall what many of these GOP leaders -- who are now praising Palin's complete lack of national and foreign policy experience -- said in 2004 when they blasted John Kerry (D) for picking John Edwards (D) as his running mate.

Despite nearly six years in the United States Senate, these same Republicans ridiculed Edwards as being "too inexperienced" to be a heartbeat away (even as the number two to a very fit and healthy Kerry).

Here are some examples.

Mitt Romney (Washington Times, July 15, 2004):

He doesn't personally dislike Mr. Kerry: "I find him to be a personable fellow," Mr. Romney told me in a recent interview. But Mr. Kerry is too liberal, he says, as is his boyish-looking running mate, John Edwards. Mr. Romney says the North Carolina freshman senator is too inexperienced to be vice president - let alone only an incident away from the presidency.

President Bush (Washington Times, July 8, 2004):

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President Bush yesterday criticized Sen. John Edwards for blocking his judicial nominations and bluntly dismissed the one-term North Carolina Democrat as too inexperienced to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

Asked by a reporter how the 51-year-old senator would "stack up" against Vice President Dick Cheney - a five-term congressman who served under three presidents and was secretary of defense during the 1991 Persian Gulf War - Mr. Bush replied: "Dick Cheney can be president. Next."

Republican National Committee (AP, July 7, 2004):

The Republican National Committee (RNC) dispensed with niceties and unveiled a lengthy report on Senator Edwards highlighting his lack of political and national security experience.

Here's what each said about the Palin pick:

• President Bush says Palin a great choice for V.P.
  
    

• Mitt Romney lauds McCain’s Sarah Palin pick
  
       

• RNC Chairman Applauds Selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as Vice Presidential Nominee

How about that for hypocrisy?

And Republicans wonder why the public despises its brand these days...

Mark Nickolas is the Managing Editor of Political Base, and this story was from his original post, "The GOP's Shameless Hypocrisy Of Palin Veep Pick"

Read more reaction from HuffPost bloggers to John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate

Comments

[Pulemerci]

She has as much foreign policy experience as the Democratic candidate for POTUS (who btw, while he wasn't campaigning, he worked (?) in the Senate for 143 days).

[ShamusNYC]

I dunno, I likes me Presidents to gots them there brain smarts.

Bush One was smart. Reagan was very, very shrewd and smart in his way. Eisenhower was smart. Taft was as bright as he was big.

Intelligent Repubs do exist - couldn't they get at least one on the ticket?

[jacqmac]

Now-just WHY would all these guys 'change their minds after four years? Hmmm-lessee-it couldn't have ANYTHING to do with McCain's alleged maverick image now could it? How absolutely perfect a move to try to get away from all these W. hangers-on. Choose someone so FAR out there that there doesn't SEEM to be much dirt to dig up and throw around. There's been a LOT lately. UNFORTUNATELY-Nature has stepped in and NOW I want to know---HAS Sarah Palin ANY experience in dealing with a DISASTER of the scope that Gustav is about to deliver? I'm a bit tired of foreign affairs taking the national spotlight during this election year. I want some DOMESTIC AFFAIRS tended to. Just how WOULD Ms. Palin deal with another Katrina? I am assuming that Gustav does NOT wreak havoc on the levees of New Orleans and flood the entire city. I am assuming that Gustav 'spares' us endless
pictures of destruction. I am assuming that the losses of property and life are MINIMAL. Hmmmm-I guess we're gonna see how she deals with it. I surely DO HOPE that NO ONE even dare SUGGEST that she or McCain goes into the areas affected unless they are INVITED and unless they are there to HELP. NOT ONE PHOTO-OP, do you hear? NOT ONE!! AND NO ACCEPTANCE SPEECHES FROM UNDISCLOSED LOCATIONS IN THE DISASTER AREA EITHER! After meeting those two requirements, we'll see.....

[BEHM777]

Republicans and hypocrisy go hand in hand.

BEHusseinM777

[hanna08]

What perhaps is the most infuriating part of this whole "experience" issue is that Gov. Palin and John McCain's surrogates get away with making the same faulty talking points while they peruse the Sunday morning talk shows and news broadcasts.

The one that REALLY grinds my gears- and I mean REALLY- is this notion of Gov. Palin having foreign policy credentials because Alaska is the closest state to Russia.

WTF?????????

Fox News gets away with it, and now Cindy McCain is reiterating the same drivel on George Stephanopoulous' show. Does he ever interject or perhaps make the claim that this type of argument is preposterous? NO.

These people wouldn't recognize idiocy if it slapped them in the face.

[siellis]

That's the one thing I like about the repubs, they tow the party line to the death.

[MajorKong]

IOKIFYAR - It's OK If You're A Republican

[12405]

America needs to see this witch for what she is a wealthy, out of touch, elitist who I believe the dye from her roots has seeped in and attacked her brain. I am sorry, did I say brain, I meant the empty area that once housed a brain. Come on, how is this even news? This is one of those "I am so offended" rebuttals commonly used by the Reepublickins. Am I supposed to be moved by this? Am I supposed to be ashamed? Try something else because the criticism of her and her husband is valid.

[12405]

The Reepublickins can nominate any "thing" and they would call it the best. These nimrods would gush over a house plant if it called itself Reepublikin. It does not matter who this is. What matters is that the propaganda machine is running full blast and they are doing their best to make this nothing into something. They paraded out all of the Reepublickin parrots on the Sunday talk shows and they were all squackin' about their great VP choice, Paylin. Just be careful, remember how much a dweeb George Bush really was and is, and well they were able to steal two elections using this twit and quite a few A'mericans bought him, hook, line and sinker.

My prediction...if MacCain't gets elected, he'll be worse than Bush and you ain't seen nothing yet, folks!

[neo1]

The GOP can SAY anything. That doesn't mean it's true.

[Norsky]

Usually, if they say it that means it isn't true......

It's a pattern.

[JimboSlice]

I think the real flip-flop would be putting up Karl Rove's comments about Tim Kaine and his comments about Sarah Palin.

Palin has 1/2 the time in office and 1/10th the people that Kaine has and yet he mocked Kaine's "Executive Experience"

[politigal]

Thank you for taking the time to do this research- this is exactly how the internet empowers everyone- allows us to speak "truth to power" in a way that Television and Paper media can not.
I do believe that during this election, it will become very clear that the Republican's divide & conquer mentality is one that many of us are tired of . Because if anyone was chosen to shore up the very conservative portion of the Right - a most divisive group of people- all or none - my way or the highway - no compromise - therefore NO PROGRESS kind of people. It is Sarah Palin.

[Scottiedog]

Ain't Karma a bitch?

[neo1]

Sure is!

[theone718]

That is just the tip of the iceberg. Karl Rove JUST SAID Tim Kaine, who was governer for 3 years and was Mayor JUST LIKE PALIN was MUCH too inexperienced to be CiC. I want to hear what his foolish self has to say about it now.

[Highwind]

The GOP also blasted Tim Kaine for being inexperienced even though he's been Governor of Virginia for 3 YEARS. Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska for a year and a half.

Hypocrisy 101