McCain: Palin more qualified than Obama

Mounting a ferocious defense of his embattled running mate, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he is buying a TV ad arguing that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has more experience than the Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

A campaign statement, in an effort to rev up conservatives, issued a list of critical media mentions that it called "smears" of Palin, who speaks in prime time at the convention on Wednesday night.

The campaign announced: "The McCain campaign will launch a television ad directly comparing Governor Palin's executive experience as a governor who oversees 24,000 state employees, 14 statewide cabinet agencies and a 10 billion dollar budget to Barack Obama's experience as a one-term junior Senator from Illinois."

The ad is what the campaign calls "a forward-leaning effort to counter the shameless smears that have prevailed during Governor Palin's introduction to the American voter."

Senior Adviser Steve Schmidt gave Politico a statement saying the campaign will have no more comment about the vetting process, which was the subject of more critical coverage in Wednesday morning's papers:"Governor Sarah Palin is an exceptional governor with a record of accomplishment that exceeds, by far, the governing accomplishments of Senator Obama. Her selection came after a six-month long rigorous vetting process where her extraordinary credentials and exceptionalism became clear. This vetting controversy is a faux media scandal designed to destroy the first female Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States who has never been a part of the old boys network that has come to dominate the news establishment in this country. Senator McCain picked his governing partner after a long and thorough search. Governor Palin looks forward to addressing the nation and laying out the fundamental choice this election represents for the American people.