Who would be a decent, competent president in 2008?

I'm not sure who started the meme that Obama lacks experience, but he was an Illinois state senator for 8 years, and by 2008, he will have been a US senator for 4 years.

That's more experience as a legislator than either Hillary Clinton or John Edwards and is the same number of years served by Bill Clinton before being elected president for the first time in 1992.

I'm not sure decency and competency are high on the list of what Americans vote for, or high on the list of what gets you elected. Lieberman is both decent and competent, all it got him was a knife in the back. The last Presidents I think most people would agree were both decent AND competent (most people wouldn't agree on Bush, Sr. and Reagan, many would say Carter and Ford may have been decent, but not competent) would be Truman and Eisenhower, but I don't think either one of them could get elected today.

Regardless of experience, I'm not sure a decent and competent candidate has a chance against Clinton's campaign people. Like her or hate her, there is little question her campaign knows how to slug it out, I've heard the Clinton/Obama campaign rivalry referred to as "The Night of the Long Knives," which is the famous episode when Hitler had Rohm and Rohm's stormtroopers assassinated even though they were Hitler's supporters, for political expediency.

I am glad to see, finally, some responses, and thoughtful ones at that. I was afraid that political issues would scare people away.

Interesting comments about Truman and Eisenhower. Truman originally got the job when FDR died and Eisenhower rode in on his military triumphs. How about Truman not warning the Japanese before dropping the A bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima? Truman was faithful to Bess altho Eisenhower cheated on Mamie. Whether that is important or not, I am no longer sure.