On Presidential experience and qualification just look at history. Four Presidents, all military, had no government political qualifications (Washington, Taylor, Grant, and Eisenhower).  One a farmer-solder, one a soldier, and two came out of military academy's.  Abe Lincoln stands unique because he had no education and only spent two years in the House of Representatives. Teddy Roosevelt is another, only spending two years as the Secretary of Navy.  Today none of these six would be viewed by the media and liberals as experienced or qualified.

Look to Mount Rushmore! There is Washington (solder), Jefferson (2 year Governor), Lincoln (2 year House member), and Teddy Roosevelt (2 year Sec of Navy). 

Of the 43 Presidents, 23 came from State Governorships. Many only after two years. Of our 220 year history, 122 years was lead by ex-governors. Conversely, only 10 years by those going direct from the Senate to the White House, for two died in office.   Only four lawyers spent limited time in the Senate before going direct to the White House (Pierce, Garfield, Harrison, Kennedy). The rest of Presidents coming out of the legislature first did some duty in the executive branch in Secretarial Positions, or in V.P. Positions.

The fact is few spent a lot of time in Washington D.C. before moving up, proving that leadership is not a function of time, or of time spent in D.C. legislatures and legislative committees   The fact is also that most went through Ivy League Law Schools. Twenty one came out of Ivy League law colleges. Nine had no college. Three from military academy’s, and the rest, some college. Most political experiences, time wise, was in State and local governance.

As I have stressed, think leadership not experience, not familiarity.   Throw out that word experience. Discard the concept of practice and ordinary trained talent..   Think and shift the political debate to leadership competency. Legislative bureaucratic proficiency does not equal executive competency. Stop contrasting skilled practicing lawyers in legislative performances to extraordinary leadership competences in critical complex timely decision-making functions.

Charisma and personality alone can sometimes work miracles, yet most leaders operate within a structure of subordinates who carry out the filtered-down will of the leader. Leadership competence is distinct from ordinary know-how and familiar experiences.