A Question Of Qualifications

That there are potential divisions within the Republican Party and between the old guard of leadership and base conservatives over Sarah Palin’s political future (and present, for that matter) were on full display in an entertaining exchange on Thursday night’s Hardball on MSNBC.

Chris Matthews had talented Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour on the program to discuss various issues, but a seemingly simple question regarding Sarah Palin stole most of the attention. It involved the qualifications of the former Alaska Governor and whether she is ready to be President, an issue getting lots of press these days with Palin’s memoir and campaign-style book tour as well as the many polls released recently finding a majority of Americans do not feel she is qualified for the job of POTUS.

Barbour was asked straight-up whether he believed Palin was qualified to be President. Unfortunately for both Barbour and Palin, the governor appeared unable to give an answer. “Constitutionally, she sure is,” was the best Barbour could do, but he never gave a simple “yes” on whether the GOP’s hottest product could ably serve as commander-in-chief.

Remember that Barbour himself is seen by many as one of the top names currently active in Republican politics and his name has been tossed around as a potential 2012 contender. He was a smart and successful chairman of the RNC, has been Governor of Mississippi for over five years and received praise for his handling the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina when it struck his state.Barbour is also currently serving as chairman of the Republican Governors Association.

It is possible that Barbour just could not bring himself to publicly state something that he personally does not believe; that a half-term Governor of Alaska with a best-selling memoir is just as qualified for the White House as he is.

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