Readers, please read the following statement by the Obama camp. The full text of the article can be found here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080731/ap_on_el_pr/obama
"While calling to mind the images of presidents on the nation's paper money
— George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson and Ulysses S. Grant are on the bills most commonly used — Obama didn't make clear what distinctions he
thinks McCain is likely to raise. Besides being white, they were for the most
part much older than Obama when elected. McCain has not raised Obama's
race as an issue in the campaign; he has said that Obama lacks experience.
When asked by The Associated Press what Obama meant by the comparison,
Obama strategist Robert Gibbs said Thursday morning that the senator was not
referring to race."What Barack Obama was talking about was that he didn't get
here after spending decades in Washington," Gibbs said. "There is nothing more
to this than the fact that he was describing that he was new to the political
scene. He was referring to the fact that he didn't come into the race with the
history of others. It is not about race."
Okay, so let's look at Gibbs' reasoning, "that Obama didn't get here after spending decades in Washington" and how that reasoning relates to the presidents on the U.S. currency.
Let's start with George Washington. First of all, George Washington never spent a day in Washington. In fact, George Washington lived in Mount Vernon, which is in Virginia. Secondly, George Washington did not serve for "decades" either as President, vice president, or within the halls of Congress. So, Mr. Gibbs, let's take George Washington off the table.
Next is Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. Before becoming President he was a member of the US House of Representatives where he served for ONE term (not decades). He then served in the Taylor administration. Again, this was not for even a decade, let alone decades. So, Mr. Gibbs, let's take Abraham Lincoln off the table.
Next on the table is Andrew Jackson. Andrew Jackson was the 17th President of the United States. Jackson started his "washington" political career in 1796 as the representative for Tennessee which aquired statehood. He was elected to the Senate in 1797 but he resigned within a year. He then became a judge in 1798 where he served until 1804. It was not until 1821 that he again became a politician when he served as military governor of Florida. He was nominated for President in 1822 and he again returned to the US Senate that year. He resigned from the Senate in 1825. He became President in 1828 and won reelection in 1832. So, Mr. Gibbs, let's do the math. One year House, one year Senate, three years again in the Senate and 8 years President. Now, if we include the presidency Jackson had 13 years in Washington government. But, would Obama really want to count the 8 years of a persons' presidency against them? I doubt it, so that pulls it back to 5 years. Once again, Mr. Gibbs, we have a currency president off the table.
Finally, we have Ulysses S. Grant. Grant was the 18th president of the United States where he served from 1869–1877 another 8 years that we will eventually right off. So what were Grant's decades of politics as a Washington insider? He was the youngest man elected president (46) and inexperienced. His cabinet was fixed on scandal (Black Friday, whiskey ring, Sanborn, and Credit Mobilier). He also faced accusations of anti-semitism. Mr. Gibbs, that is what we got from a no experience president. He had zero experience beyond being a general in the army. So I am sure you'll want Grant off the table.... because to think that Obama is running as a Freshman senator with little to no experience, not even military experience, one only wonders how Grant-like he could be.
