At a fundraiser last night in San Francisco, Sen. Obama said that he "knows and understands the world better than Senator Clinton or Senator McCain." Therefore, according, to Obama, his potential running mate would not need foreign policy experience. I guess a potential Bill Richardson vice presidency would simply be a tokenistic ploy for Latino votes- and that would be all. Read Obama's words below, for the full effect of its brashness. From the Huffington Post:

"I would like somebody who knows about a bunch of stuff that I'm not as expert on," Obama said, and then he was off and running. "I think a lot of people assume that might be some sort of military thing to make me look more Commander-in-Chief-like. Ironically, this is an area--foreign policy is the area where I am probably most confident that I know more and understand the world better than Senator Clinton or Senator McCain."

"It's ironic because this is supposedly the place where experience is most needed to be Commander-in-Chief. Experience in Washington is not knowledge of the world. This I know. When Senator Clinton brags 'I've met leaders from eighty countries'--I know what those trips are like! I've been on them. You go from the airport to the embassy. There's a group of children who do native dance. You meet with the CIA station chief and the embassy and they give you a briefing. You go take a tour of a plant that [with] the assistance of USAID has started something. And then--you go.

"You do that in eighty countries--you don't know those eighty countries. So when I speak about having lived in Indonesia for four years, having family that is impoverished in small villages in Africa--knowing the leaders is not important--what I know is the people. . . .

"I traveled to Pakistan when I was in college--I knew what Sunni and Shia was [sic] before I joined the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. . . .

"Nobody is entirely prepared for being Commander-in-Chief. The question is when the 3 AM phone call comes do you have somebody who has the judgment, the temperament to ask the right questions, to weigh the costs and benefits of military action, who insists on good intelligence, who is not going to be swayed by the short-term politics. By most criteria, I've passed those tests and my two opponents have not."

What Obama seems to be saying is rather ridiculous, in my view. Obama lived in Indonesia when he was 8-12 years of age, and if that is the unique experience that qualifies him to be the leader of the free world, then not only am I well on my way, but so too is anyone with limited foreign experience. And as far as traveling to Pakistan in college is concerned, I don't think one trip during your college break qualifies anyone. It's truly laughable.

Furthermore, love or hate Hillary Clinton, her foreign policy experience is on the record, and it accounts for more than simply boarding a plane, watching the natives dance and shaking hands at the embassy. John McCain's experience is even more extensive. True, being a prisoner of war isn't what qualifies one to be president, but the fact that McCain has experienced the world by way of the military, gives him a unique perspective that shouldn't be belittled by Obama.

In the end, I'm not dismissing Obama's ability or vision for the country, but when he points to his resume on this issue, his argument seems flimsy, and he comes across as cocky and arrogant. If he is the nominee, I'd imagine McCain would have a field day with his argument, even though the Iraq War would be a point of contention.