New York, Sept. 12 : Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama should focus more on Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s readiness to lead, says a former Hillary Clinton loyalist, adding that she still needs to be “tested” on that ability.

“I would deal with this differently, and not because (Palin) is a woman,” Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein of California told FOX News.

“I’d be very concerned about (Palin’s) readiness. I mean, what would she do about the situation between Russia and Georgia? What would she do about the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Agreement? …The world is a place of great conflict,” Feinstein added.

“Those are the questions she has to answer. … She must go up against the press. Every day I come out here with you (reporters), and I never know what you will ask me, but I am here. I answer your questions to the best of my ability, and she should do the same,” she said.

Some lawmakers, like Senator Bob Casey (Democrat-Pennsylvania), say Obama is approaching the GOP ticket just right, trying to keep the focus on McCain.

“The (polling) numbers will balance out. Sarah Palin and Joe Biden will begin to fade away, and the American people will start to really look at McCain and Obama,” Casey said.

Feinstein, however, disagrees. “The focus should be on her readiness, what she knows, and how she would perform … Policy isn’t in sound bites. It’s in sound ideas. She needs to be tested,” she said. (ANI)