TRYING to Go to Bed . . . But

Well, I finished my blog entry and was getting ready to head upstairs to bed. Decided to pour myself a glass of OJ. Today's mail was lying on the counter, so as I drank my juice, I picked up the Newsweek magazine on top of the pile and happened to turn to a terrific article by Fareed Zakaria ("The Wrong Experience"). In the article he compared the great "experience" of Senator Clinton with the much-expressed lack of experience of Barack Obama. His opinion: sometimes "experience" can get in the way of taking the bold steps necessary for true leadership. VERY good article!

Anyway, a curious idea hit me and I decided to check it out. I was wondering just how much experience another Illinois politician had before he became president. Just as I suspected: Abraham Lincoln didn't have all that impressive a political resume before he became the 16th commander-in-chief.

Check it out:

• Four 2-year terms in the Illinois House of Representatives
• Only one term in the U.S. House of Representatives
• Ran for U.S. senate, but lost to Stephen Douglas

That's basically it. It's all spelled out here, if you're interested in the details:

I'm not really advocating the politics of Senator Obama. But I AM tired of him being constantly labeled as unfit for the presidency because of "lack of experience." If it was okay for Old Abe, then it might just be okay for somebody else, too. (Of course, Mr. Lincoln didn't spend 4 or 5 of his formative years living in Indonesia.)

What's a country to do?

I'm going to bed now. Good night!