Bill Clinton Lays Out What Matters in a President; McCain Flunks the Test

One problem with the onslaught of campaign "moments" in the rush up to the election is that a few can get lost in the fray. Bill Clinton gave one of the best speeches of his political career on Wednesday night in Kissimmee, FLA., and he did it in one sentence.

"The four things that really matter in a president are: number one, the philosophy; number two, the policies; number three, the ability to make a decision; and number four, the ability to execute that decision and make changes in people's lives."

In one, swift moment, William Jefferson Clinton crystalized not only what a presidency is all about in once sentence, but he also set up a very clear reason for anyone to understand why Barack Obama fits that mold, and John McCain does not.

1. Philosophy

All presidents, good and bad, have had one. Even W. had a philosophy. Most can be encapsulated in a phrase or two that their speechwriters' find to make the concept easy. For Ronald Reagan it was "It's morning in America again," after decades with Nixon, Ford, and Carter. H.W. Bush's "Thousand points of light" speech framed his philosophy of a diplomatically strong America rewarded domestically by global peace and prosperity. For Obama the mantra is "It's time to change this country and put it back on the right track." W wanted to bring America back to "core values." Right or wrong, all of them have clear ideas of where they want to take the country.

Especially in the last few weeks, from the debates into the waning days of the election, it has become clear that John McCain has no such clear philosophy. His talking points have either aped Obama's, as the candidate with the focus took the philosophical high ground, or his campaign has tried to throw out whatever life preserver of an idea that they can find to hook their base for turnout.

2. The Policies

Barack Obama began with a clear philosophy. He articulated a series of policies on every subject under the sun. He has stuck with those policies, and modified a few for details, but not shifted them in core values. This has allowed him to attract to his campaign solid people who can help not only his presidency, but America as well, from Warren Buffett and former treasury secretrary Robert Rubin on finance, to Collin Powell and Madeline Albright. Strong policies make for strong leadership, because everyone on Obama's "team" across a broad swath of government can be on the same page.

John McCain's team is sending out resumes, back-biting, and otherwise sniping internally. They can't even get "Joe the Plumber" to his gig and embarrass the candidate. They switch strategies and policies by the day week, and hour. If this is any indication of how McCain will rule, it should truly frighten anyone who is actually looking at it, and not just clutching on to their wallet or Bible.

3. The Ability to Make a Decision

Obama has demonstrated time and time again that he can make sound, strong decisions, from piecing together the most successful political campaign in history that has energized more volunteers and raised more money than any other campaign, possibly more than even John F. Kennedy, because of his broad leverage of the Internet.

We have seen him make many tactical decisions, including not caving in to the liberal left, as he proved again last night when Rachael Maddow asked him why he was not attacking the Republicans and conservative philosophies and policies. He knows that he has to lead by consensus, and that he is going to have to temper his party's enthusiasm for attack and blood-sport if he is going to navigate the country forward. He does it with grace and a smile and a relaxed comfort.

McCain is uncomfortable as a person in public. This whole thing is killing him, from having to hug Sarah Palin on stage when he's pissed off at her for undercutting him repeatedly, to controlling his temper that is famous around Washington. How will he keep that persona up for four years, and what will suppressing it do to his judgment in policy?

4. The Ability to Execute

Look at both campaigns. One has 100,000 people at the same event that 4,000 turn out in the same city on the same day. McCain is busing school children in to fill in an event where Sarah Palin is not on the stump. Look at the way that they organize. Obama is swift on the Internet, using the latest technologies to reach masses of Americans quickly. McCain's people do not leverage the technology, nor do their base, which have suspicions of the Internet as a communication tool.

Time and again Obama has executed flawlessly over the primaries and the general election. Time and time again his organization has sought out the best and brightest to bring their expertise. He has managed to mend fences, even with Bill Clinton, for whom such endorsements after a bitter primary, have not come easily. The ability to execute means being able to see the bigger picture, and Barack Obama seems to "get it" on everything from our crushing debt to wonky things like plugging cars into the electrical grid and downloading the energy that they create.

He gets these things in a real, organic, fashion. He is not a front for his wonky staff. He is an intellectual, top of his Harvard class, who has a depth of understanding and a passion that has kept him relaxed and smiling through thousands of stops and interviews.

By contrast, Mr. McCain seems stressed and does not possess a grasp of how to execute. His shoot from the hip system has backfired time and again, from his "suspended" campaign to the pick of Mrs. Palin who has outshone him on the stump.

Bill Clinton framed the choice as only a president could. Read his full speech at Real Clear Politics. It's one for the ages.

Follow Brian Ross on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mlnsports

Comments

[radnip]

I think I finally understand why McCain's team seemed so unprepared when he should have been more prepared. Either they're all Joe the Plumbers OR they intended to steal the election all along. You don't need a plan when you don't have to play much of the game.

[Brian Ross - Huffpost Blogger]

E) None of the above. They were just plain out incompetent.

[luckyrico1]

It took Bill a while, but he finally made the case very convincingly.

It's Okay if Bill wants to take credit for helping to get the first black man into the oval office.

It's better that preventing the first black man get into office.

I hope Bill will help Barack and give him advice because he will surely need it. And it's OK if Bill wants to brag about helping him with getting the country back in the right direction.

It's better than preventing it from getting it back on track.

The problems are so monumental it will take everybody (that means Republicans too) to get our economy, military and our reputation back to where it was when Bill was in office.

[Liberoservative]

Kind of on and off topic... but have you ever gone back to see what you have blogged about in the past? I found this one of mine hilarious.... and kind of like... "we are here again?"

Barack Obama, Michael Smerconish Radio Interview: Pakistan, al Qaida, Iraq And Illegal Immigration

Have to agree... still looking for the point... but I find it hilarious that Obama is a Marxist now... yeesh... he's been a Liberal, a Muslim, an Anti-Semite, and anti-American ( because he sang the Anthem rather that held his hand over his heart).. ermm.. he's met and had relations with people in his life that have some radical thoughts.. he had the temerity to compare those meetings by saying "sillly politics" and why aren't we discussing issues. I really have to keep my hope that the American voters are not swayed by a lot of the comments I see here. His foreign policy is sound.. he supports a very strong military (unusual for most Dems) and he believes that we should speak softly and carry that big stick.. Diplomacy is almost always the first way to go.. if we had done that in the beginning, then maybe there wouldn't have been a 9/11....

posted Apr 21, 2008 at 23:29:51

[felric]

I had to admit that for once Barack was overshadowed by Bill. It was Bill Clinton at his best. The former president was succinct, clear, unequivocal and well worth hearing. Four solid points. Makes real sense. Way to go Bill!!!!

[sclucie]

I believe that it was the shortest speech Bill Clinton has ever given in his life. I wonder why. Perhaps it for the same reason Clinton has called John McCain "great" and says - when asked directly that Obama is not, but may be.

Obama is everything Bill Clinton wishes that he could have been.

[stell]

Bill will never change. The first black president is doing his best to make sure their won't be a second.

[19iowa62]

Is there a video of of this speech?

[Brian Ross - Huffpost Blogger]

Click here to watch the movie.

[zenaby56]

I loved Clinton as a President and am glad to hear about this speech. He has always been very articulate, he can make a point without trying to muddy the waters to hide that he doesn't know anything (such as McCain does). It would have been great to see him.

Obama-Biden '08

[AngelaQuattrano]

I'd like to point out that Bush the Elder's "Thousand Points of Light" wasn't about "a diplomatically strong America rewarded domestically by global peace and prosperity". It was about individuals helping each other make this country strong by doing volunteer work - in other words, community organizing. Each individual doing volunteer work was a "point of light".

At the time I said that the purpose of the program was to have poor people take over helping each other so that rich people could stop funding those social safety net programs they hated so much. Nothing has happened to change my mind about it since.

[IsyFleur]

How I agree with you! It also implies that individuals can pick and chose who they help, rather than having a society where help is available to all who need it.

[Brian Ross - Huffpost Blogger]

Originally, yes. The metaphor was extended by Bush when it became a stock phrase to include everything from foreign policy to education initiatives.

BMR

[sclucie]

So explain to me about those thousand points of light. Because I work in health care. I see fifty million points of light - uninsured Americans who may make it and may not - because they cannot afford to pay for care some of them desperately need. I have seen doctors give their time. But there are some things that individuals cannot do - and people are dying for want of health care in this country. Again. There are 50 million people in the country without health care - and the majority of them are working people. Working poor.

Peggy Noonan wrote a lovely speech for George H Bush. It just did not have anything to do with reality.

[sadymay08]

Oh yeah, Clinton is a good example of what a President shouldn't be and has no right to say what a President needs to be. He fell flat on his face, big time. GO MCCAIN

[ccmd]

lmao

[shirleen01]

Too late to be hating loser.

[bruster55]

President Clinton was the only president that was able to balance the budget.
Absolutely no Republican president have ever balanced a budget.

Actually George Bush had a surplus when he took office. What happened to that money.

The answer is George Bush Spread the wealth to his wealthy buddies.
I'm sorry Sadymay08 the facts prove you wrong.

George Bush or John McCain will never be as qualified, as honest or as brilliant as President Clinton.

So please VOTE Democratic this election

STOP THE THEIVES.

STOP THE HATRED

[Brian Ross - Huffpost Blogger]

Well, if you consider a balanced budget, a budget surplus, jobs created, six figures worth of new cops on the street for major urban areas that had been crime infested under Reagan and back, a Wall Street that was regulated and profitable, and a foreign diplomatic system that was the envy of the world to be the failings of a President, I guess you're right.

I just wish that George Bush had failed that well.

BMR

[sclucie]

I hate to burst your bubble, but what you have left out is a lot. The groundwork for the transfer of American jobs to China was laid down under the Clinton administration. Look up Bernard Schwartz. NAFTA was passed under Clinton, and contrary to what the Clintons say, it was also negotiated under Clinton. The deregulation and credit swap bills, were both signed by Clinton - and created the horrific mess we are in today. The genocide in Rwanda happened under Clinton - but he turned his back. The systematic rape of 20,000 women in Bosnia happened under Clinton's watch - and again, he turned his back because his pollsters told him it was not in his interest. Your romantic scenario of the Clinton administration is lovely - it just doesn't square with the facts.

[DaveC19]

Go McCAIN!!...And take Palin with you...



O/B '08

[JTCan]

I thought Clinton's speech was perfect...exactly what people need to hear. But another line he said that went unnoticed was.... when he brought up "decisions" that were made...Obama made TWO that were right on...Bill's comment about the decision of VP pick...he said "Obama...hit it out of the ballpark"....which I felt was HUGE for him to say. And to go on to Obama's calm,direc­t,steady,c­onduct during the economy meltdown......he couldn't have said it better.

[Last-LiberalRepublicans]

I WAS AT THAT RALLY in Florida! That Campaign Stream LIVE in the State on Local and National TV! CLINTON Re-enforces the fact that McCain LACKS the BASIC Judgement to be an Effective Commander in Chief!!!

[md1writer]

Well said!