Posted by
Patrick Henry on Saturday, June 19, 2010 6:38:39 PM
Recently I had a conversation with a friend who was complaining that Barack
Obama, currently the President of the United States was everything the nation
doesn't need in a leader, and very little of what it does need. Now before those
of the liberal persuasion go into their knee-jerk racism song and dance, they
need to understand that my friend and I agreed that being black is actually
the very BEST thing Obama has going for him. It's high time we had a black
president, and in elections to come fair consideration must be given to women,
Americans of Hispanic and Asian descent. What works against Obama is his
duplicitous character, his blind ideological commitment and his lack of plain
common sense.
So, I said to my friend, "All right, if Obama is not what we need, build me a
presidential profile that reflects what we do need." That kicked off a rambling
back and forth discussion that I will but summarize here. This is what we came
up with.
We need a president who is smart, wise and practical. Liberals are fond of
bragging that Obama is the smartest president we've ever had. I seriously doubt
that because however appreciable his IQ may be, he regularly commits blunders,
makes contradictory statements and trips himself up. Really smart people don't
do that. America could do very nicely with someone having an IQ of 130,
accompanied by a whole lot of wisdom, common sense and people skills.
America needs a leader who is quick on his/her feet, decisive, pro-active and
one who heads the pack instead of following blindly where some ideology or
political party lead. A real leader sees clearly the possible range of problems
facing the country and is planning remedies for tomorrow's problems, not
appointing political commissions to whine about yesterday's mistakes.
We need a president who makes our lives easier, not harder. Raising taxes,
spending the country off a cliff and regulating businesses until they collapse
does not make life easier. Neither does failing to secure borders or enforce
existing laws, forcing states to subsidize millions of lawbreakers and then
threatening to sue states that move to do what he should do but won't.
And how about a president from Stanford, Duke, Texas or Purdue instead
of the same old crowd from Harvard and Yale. A president who has been
taught how to think would be infinitely preferable to one who has been
indoctrinated in what to think.
A president needs to be one who has SUCCESSFULLY managed or governed.
A businessman or a former governor would be a good start. Managing a political
campaign is not in any way the same thing as managing a business or a state,
being responsible for a whole range of demanding issues simultaneously and for
making payroll without printing money. The last thing America needs is another
political nimrod who wants to learn on the job while "playing president."
A successful president will be able to confess his mistakes and laugh at himself.
He will not say one thing while meaning another, make promises he has no way
or intention of keeping or lie to those who voted for him. One George Washington
was worth twenty Barack Obamas.
Finally, a president must be a listener, not one who ignores the opinions of people
who don't agree with him/her. He/she must have the courage when it's time to
stand on principle and the humility when it's time to compromise. Most of all, he/she
must be wise enough to know the difference.
If you buy into all these things the leader of the free world should be, then you've
already admitted, in your heart, that the current occupant of the White House is
sadly deficient in every category. Is there such a person out there for 2012? Maybe.
But it will be up to Americans to dig through the subterfuge and haze of politics
to identify him or her. Perhaps when we do, this will all seem like a bad dream.
Our country is well worth the search.