SOME people are into feet. Some are into feathers. Some are into watching, and others, being watched. The Republicans have developed an extreme case of executive-experience-fetishism.

Apparently 18 months running Alaska, and much more time running a tiny town, is vastly more experience than Barack Obama has. It is also vastly more, then, than John McCain has. (For the record, he briefly comanded a training squadron, in Florida, while in the Navy.) It's also vastly more than Lincoln, Kennedy, Johnson or Truman, just to rattle a few off the top of my head. None were governors or mayors or ran a big business. If the vice-presidency doesn't count as executive experience—the veep, after all, just runs his own office—it's more than Nixon. It's more than Bob Dole, whom the Republicans nominated in 1996. Jack Kemp, his running mate had at least run Housing and Urban Development, and an [American] football team. Governors do include, however, Mike Dukakis and Jimmy Carter. Hubert Humphrey was a mayor. (So was another famous landslide loser, Rudy Giuliani.)

There is achievement in government, and there is lack of achievement. Both Barack Obama and Sarah Palin have short careers in government, but both have had their moments. Mr McCain and Mr Biden tower over both, despite their lack of executive experience, in my "experience" books. But if you want to throw out Mr Biden's experience and Mr Obama's because they are legislative, throw out Mr McCain's, too. Vote the manager of your local Staples, who has more executive experience than John McCain. Or throw out this bogus argument.