Hillary Clinton (and recently John McCain) have been relentlessly hammering Barack Obama for not having enough “experience” to be president.

That’s a problem, alright. But only FOR THEM.

In a sense, both McCain and Clinton have too much experience, i.e. pasts filled with questionable actions and missteps. I’m not defending the piece in The New York Times today about McCain and his supposed relationship with a female lobbyist eight years ago, not by a long shot.

But I am reminded of his involvement further back in time with that savings and loan crook John Keating. That McCain’s political career managed to survive that horrendous scandal is a minor miracle only a Mike “The Miracle-Believer” Huckabee could dream up.

Clinton’s dirt-laundry list is even longer—from Whitewater to pilfering stuff on the way out of the White House.

McCain and Clinton have accumulated experience to such an impressive point that they’ve each fully realized Lord Acton’s maxim about power and corruption. Both of them have been in Washington, too long.

At least McCain is a war hero.

The Clintonistas are a nasty bunch—and they’re trying so hard to dig into Obama’s past to find an illicit tryst, a bribe, an illegitimate child. Anything to hang him.

For proof, look no further than another story about the presidential race that ran on Page One in the Times next to the McCain piece. Mark Penn, Clinton’s chief adviser said in an e-mail that it was up to “the press to dig deeper and vet him (Obama) now. That’s not our job.”

Translation: We need dirt.

These are the people who profess to lead us. Character assassins.