What's the difference between Palin and Cheney? Absolutely no one would trust Cheney with a rifle.

Rs like to point out that Palin has more executive experience than Obama (or Biden, or McCain) and I think she deserves much more credit than she's getting for it. Further, based on her experience I believe she is clearly the most qualified candidate to follow the excellent example of GWB.

She alone understands how to make difficult staffing decisions. Throughout her tenure as both mayor and governor she has excelled at eliminating career staffers and replacing them with buds. As Mayor she fired a police chief because he intimidated her (those uppity Joint Chiefs better take notice), and tried to fire a librarian who disagreed on book selection (she can be trusted to be sure only appropriate material enters the Library of Congress--or the Smithsonian--and maybe any library attached to any university that receives any federal funding for any reason, this could keep those liberal, intellectual, historians from misinterpreting the last eight years). As Governor she fired the state's top cop for refusing to fire her former brother-in-law (a perfectly reasonable use of authority as he was an "at will" employee just like those pesky attorneys over at the Justice Department--this stellar achievement was slightly marred by the too quick appointment, and subsequent rejection, of a slightly under vetted replacement--also showing her qualifications to stand in for McCain if needed).

She knows how to strongly take a position. She was strongly for the "bridge to nowhere". She was strongly opposed to the "bridge to nowhere". These are both strong positions.

She gets budgeting and fiscal responsibility. She wants to stop earmarks--except for the $27 million she paid a lobbyist to help her get as Mayor of Wasilla, oh, and the $750 million Alaska has requested since she has become Governor (this comes to about $1,100 per capita requested for the state--the same math would put Texas in line for $22 billion and if Good Hair can pull that off I'll vote for him). But her economic prowess doesn't stop there. Mayor Palin, in spite of obtaining federal funding amounting to nearly $4,000 for every man, woman, child and sled dog in Wasilla also managed to take a debt free city and leave it approximately $4,000 in debt for every man, woman, child, and unthreatened polar bear. This is a feat that can only be matched by our current President and is certainly the government our great grandkids are looking for.

Lastly, she sees clearly the possibilities of executive authority. In addition to using her power to fire a whole bunch of useless, disagreeable bureaucrats she knows how to divert pain in the butt do-gooders who try to limit her capacities. In the instance of firing the chief trooper she has demanded that a bi-partisan committee of legislative buttinskys drop their inquiry in favor of an investigation by an appointed board, this is completely consistent with our President's attitude toward Congress. Even more exciting is the fact that one of Palin's aides has flatly refused to give a deposition to the investigative committee effectively extending "executive privilege" to either the Governor of Alaska or the Vice-Presidential nominee. It hardly matters which one the critical thing is that she is plowing new ground and creating new mechanisms to help keep a lid on runaway transparency. Whether it has to do with energy policy, war, justice or other matters of special import it is essential that government be conducted on a "need to know" basis. The public, press and elected officials need to know what we want them to know--occasionally that may be the identity of a covert CIA operative but--normally that's not much.

Sarah Palin, by virtue of her experience, is by far the most qualified candidate to step right into Dick Cheney's shoes and it's time Democrats gave her credit.