This is Your Life - more on experience and qualifications

The questions is not which one of these lives is similar to your own, but which one of these people is best qualified to run the country. Which one knows what Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are, what the difference is between Sunni and Shi'ia, and - my personal favorite - which one doesn't have a finger twitching on the trigger.

NOTE: Obama is running for President while Sarah Palin is running for Vice-President. BUT John McCain is 72 years old - the average life span of an American male is 73.

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Obama: Works his way up from Occidental College, L.A., to Columbia University.
Palin: Works her way from Hawaii Pacific University to Northern Idaho College to University of Idaho.

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Obama in 1983: hired at graduation by B.I.C., N.Y., as research associate of financial services.
Palin in 1984: loses Miss Alaska contest, though given Miss Congeniality title.

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Obama 1985-1988: quits corporate job, joins public interest groups in NY and CHI.- Director of Developing Communities in Chicago, directs staff of 13, hundreds of volunteers.- Instructor at the Gamaliel Foundation, to promote community organizations. (duties include helping laid off workers find jobs)
Palin 1985-1988: works her way from Hawaii Pacific University to Northern Idaho College to University of Idaho.

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Obama 1988: Accepted by Harvard Law School.- Brought national attention as first black president of Harvard Law Review,- Graduates Magna Cum Laude. (that means with high honors - YOU DON'T GET THAT FROM AFFIRMATIVE ACTION.)
Palin 1988: Hired by Anchorage TV station KTUU as intermittent sportscaster.

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Obama: Marries Michelle in planned wedding after three year courtship, first child Malia born six years later.
Palin: Elopes with high school sweetheart soon after coming home from college, gives birth eight months later.

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Obama 1992: Recruited by University of Chicago to teach Constitutional Law, chooses to work at a small civil rights boutique firm. Runs "Project Vote" helping to register over 100,000 new Illinois voters. Profiles as one of the "40 under forty" most successful by Crain's Chicago Business Journal.
Palin 1992: No longer sportscasting.- Helps out at her husband's family fishing business.- Joins city council following discussions in an aerobics class as to whether town of less than 5000 needs a police department (see Time Magazine, Sept 2, 2008)

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Obama 1992-1996: teaches Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago and practices privately.- Writes memoir, "Dreams of My Father", published by Random House.
Palin 1992-1996: Wasilla city council,- Discusses the placement of stop signs, whether to allow a liquor license on Parks Highway.- Oldest son Track begins playing hockey, officially becomes hockey mom. Mayor John Stein supports Palin's council membership.

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Obama 1996-2004: elected to Illinois state legislature, district population 250,000, state population 13,000,000.- regularly receives 40,000 votes-votes on over 3000 state initiatives, reserves judgement on about 110
Palin 1996-2002: elected Wasilla town mayor, population now over 6500. Gets 907 votes. Gets Republican party support for traditional non-partisian contest, crushes former supporter John Stein. Still discussing stop signs and liquor licenses. Builds sports center, unfortunately legal title to the land is in question, litigation continues today. Refuses to support changing bar closing time from 5:00 AM to 2:30 AM to reduce drunk driving. Joins Republican women leadership group run by Ted Stevens. Hires lobbying firm to capture federal earmarks, very successful in 2000 with $27 Million

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Obama: Loses Democratic congressional primary in 2000, gets 29,649 votes.
Palin: Loses Republican Lt. Governor's primary in 2002, gets 19,114 votes.- Refuses to support mother-in-law running for her mayor's position.

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Obama 2004: Elected U.S. Senate- Gets 3,571,000 votes
Palin 2003: Accepts position on Oil and Gas Board from Frank Murkowski.- Quits 11 months later.

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Obama 2006: devises primary campaign that defeats heavily favored Hilary Clinton.- Gets 17,869,000 votes- Regularly meets with teams of advisors, over 200 in all, on foreign policy and economics.
Palin 2006: Elected governor of Alaska,- Gets 114,695 votes.- Crushes former supporter and focus of corrupt probe Frank Murkowski- Licenses the rights to build a pipeline to a CANADIAN company - Fails to sell jet on Ebay. (BTW, jet was used primarily to transport Alaskan prisoners to Arizona, for some reason they don't keep many of their cons in their own state)- Tells Anchorage Daily News she wants US taxpayers to fund "bridge to nowhere". She refuses to build bridge out her own state funds.

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Obama's family plan 2006-2008: Barack campaigns and serves in Senate duties full-time- Michelle home with kids, has caretaking help, works part-time.
Palin's family plan: Sarah serves as Governor, runs for vice-president- Todd still working on North Slope and racing snowmobile, weeks and months away from family, states refusal to be a stay home dad.- No caretaking arrangement has been made public; rumors are that Track ran off with the former nanny. Then Track, with rumors of drug abuse and vandalism, joins the Army. Bristol becomes a teenager, gets pregnant. Baby born with special needs

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Obama 2008: Democratic nominee, President. A well-ordered mind.

Palin 2008: Republican nominee, Vice-President. Steeped in chaos.

Submitted by Christine on Tue, 09/09/2008 - 3:30pm. Reader Contribution A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION