McCain, Clinton, Obama: On Selecting a Commander-in-Chief

The undefined "lifetime of experience" that allows a candidate to pass Hillary Clinton's "Commander-in-Chief threshold" is overrated. How many of baseball's front office geniuses looking for new managers stick to those with "managerial experience," even though they also have losing records? Experience is less important if you are unable to learn from it (i.e., Cheney, Rumsfeld).

Some experience and information are important, of course; we know that now by some bitter experience of our own. Gerald Ford, running for his own full term, was surprised to hear that the Soviet Union dominated Poland. That disqualified him. George W. Bush didn't know the name of the leader of Pakistan (or much else): somehow that didn't disqualify him, to our eternal shame and sorrow.

But there are surely two things more important than experience: judgment and character. (Bush is sublimely deficient in all three.)

JUDGMENT

What do you know about John McCain's judgment? War in Iraq for a hundred years, "bomb-bomb-bomb, bomb-bomb Iran." That's a start.

What do you know about Hillary Clinton's judgment? She didn't read the National Intelligence Estimate before she voted to authorize the war on Iraq. She also voted against the Levin amendment, which authorized war only if the UN Security Council voted for it; if not, Bush was required to return to Congress for another authorization vote. (Clinton's "explanations" of her vote against the Levin amendment always include mischaracterizations of the amendment.) Her opposition to the Iraq war has, perhaps not surprisingly, focused on how badly it has been managed, "too little, too late," etc. She also voted for the Kyl-Lieberman amendment, giving Bush a similar boost for war in Iran. That's a start.

What do you know about Barack Obama's judgment? Anything bad?

CHARACTER

What do you know about John McCain's character? He served his country with courage and integrity forty years ago, but his lifetime of experience includes other relevant data. For example: he expressed a very strong and principled opinion about Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy in a time of war, and another very strong and principled opinion about torture, which he condemned. But he changed those opinions and principles with truly Romney-esque agility, because his party likes tax cuts and torture and he decided that gaining his party's nomination was more important than his principles.

What do you know about Hillary Clinton's character? She endorsed McCain's experience and qualifications to be Commander-in-Chief while rejecting the experience and qualifications of her rival Obama, her party's likely nominee, who opposed the war from Day One and voted against torture. And she is entirely responsible for her appalling campaign: not only for what she herself says and doesn't say and grudgingly says and slyly hints at, but what she allows her staff and surrogates to say and do on her behalf, without timely (or often any) denunciation or rejection.

What do you know about Obama's character? Anything bad?

Judgment, character, experience.

Every time you vote, your own is on the line.

Comments

[bish66]

"What do you know about Barack Obama's judgment? Anything bad?"

You bet! First of all, it would help if you guys would, from time to time look into the text of what you hold up as evidence of Obama's superior judgment. He is and was not against the war (http://www.barackobama.com/2002/10/02/remarks_of_illinois_state_sen.php):

"Let me begin by saying that although this has been billed as an anti-war rally, I stand before you as someone who is not opposed to war in all circumstances."

"What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war."

"I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars."

That does not sound that much "anti-war" to me. Give him time and an intelligent reason and he is on board. Later on, he explained that America should concentrate on the war in Afghanistan. So that is an intelligent war, right? Afghanistan is not mentioned once in the speech that is the foundation of his claim to good judgment and leadership, Osama bin Laden is mentioned once and Al-Qaeda twice.

So he runs up and down across the USA, declaring that he was always against the war (which is not what he said back then) and accuses Clinton for voting for the resolution.
Voting for the Resolution might have been a mistake and Obama always tells us with glee "told you so". The reasons why Clinton voted for it are laid down in her speech (http://clinton.senate.gov/speeches/iraq_101002.html)

Obama wasn't a US Senator back in 2002, so he did not take part in the vote. Furthermore, he said that he is not sure how he would have voted, if he had been a member of the senate. Maybe "present"? Or "Yea" and then claim that he accidentially hit the wrong button?

The Senate mayority leader back then was a certain Tom Daschle, who, as leader of the Senate Democrats voted for the Resolution, but having him as head of his campaign is "good judgment". Embracing John Kerry, Chris Dodd and other supporters of that Resolution is "good judgment"?

Wake up, Frank, Obama is not better than the rest of the Senate, he is just a powerhungry man who would do and say anything to win. That's not character, that's cunning.

Judgment, character, experience? Obama has NONE!

[nznatann]

Not sure where to put this, but out in the world that is not USA we want Obama for President. Someone who knows the world is a bit more than his back yard

And here in NZ we have a woman Prime Minister (one who got there without sleeping with a former leader) and believe me having a woman leader who thinks she has to act like a man to be in power is seriously overated

It's not just about you, it's about your brothers and sisters everywhere

[LeftRight]

I've never mischaracterized his opposition to the war. He's not opposed to all wars, just this one which violated logic, AND international law! I am as well. We both, however, think that WWII was, if not a "good" war, at least not a bad war.

[Dap]

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