Bottom in Experience, Top in Polls

Combined years of senior Administration, Congressional, and gubernatorial/mayoral experience of Democratic Presidential candidates by the time of the inaugural in January '09:

Joseph Biden: 36
Christopher Dodd: 34
Bill Richardson: 24
Dennis Kucinich: 14
Mike Gravel: 12 (although, admittedly, no recent experience)
Hillary Clinton: 8
John Edwards: 6
Barack Obama: 4

Of Republicans:

Duncan Hunter: 28
John McCain: 26
Ron Paul: 19
Tommy Thompson: 18
Sam Brownback: 14
Mike Huckabee: 11
Tom Tancredo: 10
Fred Thompson: 8
Rudy Giulianai: 8
Mitt Romney: 4

I'm not saying that one must have years and years as a Washington insider or governor to be President, and Lord knows there are some awful people with tons of experience. But it should be noted that the top 3 contenders in each party have the least experience, and only one of them, Giuliani, has any notable record of accomplishment.

For any of them to complain about the presence of far more substantive individuals in the debates is disingenuous at best. Note to Edwards: I wouldn't suggest a smaller and "more serious" group, because a serious group wouldn't even include you. And Hillary, if politics weren't so "trivialized," you wouldn't have even won a Senate seat, let alone be a frontrunner for the Presidency.