When asked about criticisms of Sarah Palin's readiness to serve as president, McCain responded: "If they want to go down that route, in all candor, she has far, far more experience than Senator Obama does."

Set aside the bravado. Can McCain possibly believe that? And if he does, what are we supposed to think of his own fitness to serve? Sen. Obama is certainly new on the national scene. But he's serving his fourth year in the US senate. He's run a successful national primary campaign. He's deeply versed on all the relevant policy issues. Palin has been the governor of one of the smallest states in the country (by pop.) for 18 months. As recently as 2006, she said she hadn't focused enough on Iraq to have an opinion one way or another about the surge. Even now, her off-hand comments about Iraq are completely at odds with Sen. McCain's.

Getting into a discussion about the relative qualifications of the two individuals is too silly to waste time on. But it says a lot about McCain that he says it.