good chart francis, but it won't convince those who refuse to see things that clearly. For instance, you will never be able to convince Bouldin that Edwards is less experienced/qualified, or certainly not more experienced, than Barack Obama. Something just tells Bouldin that Barack is not ready. And of course Hillary could be the most qualified candidate in history to ever run for president and he still wouldn't support her. Good chart though.

I don't think experience is necessarily the biggest factor this year anyway. Because most democrats now realize that we need the candidate who can be the best messenger. We don't need Kerry or Dukakis, eminently qualified, more qualified than other candidates, but not the best messengers. Obama has experience relative to or better than Edwards, and he is a far better speaker, far more charismatic, and far more capable of leading a campaign that is also a movement. Hillary is a fine speaker and has huge stature not just in this country but worldwide. And she has Bill Clinton right next to her. Edwards cannot measure up to them. He is a midget next to them. Has good ideas though. Hillary and Obama should co-opt some of them, and they have.