Caroline Kennedy vs. Sarah Palin

Comparing the resumes of two first-time candidates for national office

Talk about a double standard, said Rich Lowry in National Review. Some of the same liberals “who were hell on Sarah Palin for her lack of experience” are giddy at the possibility that Caroline Kennedy could be appointed to fill Hillary Clinton’s soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat. “How silly the Alaska governor must feel: To think running for office was the best way to build a political career, when what she needed was fashionable charitable causes and a storied last name.”

Comparing Kennedy to Palin is like comparing “apples to ... zebras,” said Kathleen Parker in The Washington Post. Kennedy, a Constitutional scholar, is plenty smart to do the job, people just don’t like the entitlement implicit in her plea for the appointment. Palin, however, “was headed for much bigger business,” and critics had ample reason to question whether she was competent enough to be “a heartbeat away from The Button.”

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