Campaign 2008 ~ Presidential Leadership, Part Two

Last month's column addressed some of the qualities of leadership that American voters may want to consider when we elect our next president in November. In the intervening period I have had opportunities to hear both Barack Obama and John McCain speak at various public forums, TV news shows, read their respective articles on What is Patriotism in Parade Magazine, and various other articles in national publications such as AARP, NY Times, etc. In addition, I have read Obama's The Audacity of Hope and McCain's Character is Destiny and Faith of My Fathers. I have also read a variety of general articles on leadership from sources as varied as the U.S. Marine Corp leadership principles to those espoused by Goldman Sachs, as well as principles from scholars such as Warren Bennis.

Let me say right at the outset that both Barack Obama and John McCain are intelligent, honest, and sincere men dedicated to their respective visions of the future for America. Their visions of the solutions are quite different. Both men are worthy of our consideration for the highest office in the land and leader of the free world. We have many challenges ahead of us: a struggling economy, a two-front war, an energy crisis caused by our three-decade long refusal to become energy independent and efficient, global climate changes with dire effects and a failed healthcare system leaving 48 million Americans without coverage. I could go on, but you get the picture.

The following leadership principles are by no means exhaustive but are some of the items I mentioned last month as being important qualities in our next president. I have done my best, given the time constraints, to honestly look at each man for these principles and give my opinion as to which candidate meets or exceeds the leadership criteria. You may very well disagree with me and I would like to hear your thoughts, pro or con. All of us must choose who we believe is the best candidate and if your answer is Bob Barr or Ralph Nader, then please accept my apology for not including them in this exercise. So, on November 5, 2008 who will be celebrating their election as the next President of the United States?

Work Ethic
Tie-Obama can claim coming from humble origins to attend law school, work on Wall Street, became a community organizer, law professor and finally a U.S. Senator. McCain can claim a famous heritage of service to his country by his grandfather, father and his own heroic service during the Vietnam War as a prisoner who refused to give in to his captors. f there is a slight edge here it goes to Obama since he is a younger man tasked with the most stressful job in the world at a very challenging time.

Reading/Writing/Curiosity for Information
Tie-Both men are obviously well read, and as evidenced by their books, and can express themselves eloquently on a large range of topics. The edge goes to Obama since he did not use a companion writer for his books. Mark Salter co-wrote McCain's books.

Speaking
Obama-By far the better public speaker. He is relaxed and can speak extemporaneously without strain. Obama stays focused on the topic and that is probably due to his training as a lawyer and a professor. McCain is stiff and stilted, he often labors to speak, and I have rarely seen him truly relaxed in front of a crowd or especially a group of reporters. Please do all of us a favor and stop calling us, "My friends."

Knowledge of History
Tie-Although neither man is an ancient and medieval history scholar, it is clear from their writings that both of them know and understand today's complicated world and the ongoing process of globalization. Obama grew up in a mixed-culture family and lived in Indonesia as a young man. I was very impressed by his understanding of the evolution of American power and foreign policy in his chapter entitled, The World Beyond Our Borders. McCain grew up in a military family where the mission of serving the country anywhere in the world was understood. He has had the Vietnam War experience and his many years in the Senate have provided a front row seat in foreign policy decision-making… good and bad. However, McCain keeps making speaking errors such as the Afghanistan-Iraq border (It's with Pakistan)…makes one wonder how well he really knows this vital geography.



Integrity
Tie-I think most Americans sense both men to be honest and of high integrity. What we do not want to see are any more Karl Rove tactics employed by either campaign. Americans are sick of nasty, misleading portrayals of a candidate's position. A word of caution to both candidates-do not spend time accusing each other on the flip-flop trail. We want to hear SOLUTIONS to the MAJOR problems we have and that is all. Who can most effectively use government to solve our issues?

Team/Cabinet/Leverage Intellectual Capital
Unable to Judge-One of the qualities of effective leadership is that they surround themselves with great people. Given the level of problem solving that now must be accomplished, in concert with other nations, we need an excellent Vice President and Cabinet. Lee Iacoca in an article in the July-August AARP Bulletin made an outstanding point. "Here's another thing I want to know before I cast my vote-and this is a pet peeve of mine: Who is going to be on their teams if they're elected? I've never been commander in chief, but I've been a chief executive officer, and I know that you're nothing without your team… My message to each candidate is simple: Prove that you're a leader, and name the team-now-that will back you up. That's what America deserves."

Balance of Powers
McCain-Although Obama is a constitutional scholar and understands how wise our founding fathers were to establish three separate and distinct branches of government, I give the edge to McCain because he has been front and center in the Senate and seen first hand Executive branch abuses in multiple administrations. He was also a prominent member of the 14 Senators who banned together to stop the "nuclear option" of killing the long held Senate filibuster.

Uniting America
Obama-Throughout the entire primary season and now into the general campaign, I have heard very little from John McCain about Americans pulling together and compromising for the common good. This is a major message in Obama's book Audacity of Hope, and it has been a prominent theme in his speeches. His motto is, Yes We Can! Obama is already contesting states such as North Carolina that previous Democrats just gave to the Republicans. He is taking his message directly to the people for their decision and ignoring previous party strategies. It reminds me of Bobby Kennedy's campaign. McCain on the other hand has moved to the right on many of his previous positions and lost his appeal to the centrists of his own party, much less to Democrats and Independents.

Economics
Obama-The state of our economy has already trumped Iraq as the number one issue voter's care about. The biggest issues for America's future are energy independence, and economic competitiveness. Prior to being a community organizer, Obama worked for an economic think-tank, providing papers and research of economic conditions for global companies. He understands economics, and he can be a forceful actor in guiding budgetary and fiscal policy. McCain, by his own admission does not do well with economics. He has also had to disclaim comments by Phil Gramm, his principal economic advisor, that the "American people are whiners and we are only in a mental recession."

Capacity to Energize/Inspire a Vision
Obama-He has the speaking edge and the energy of a young man in his 40s. He has already shown a capacity to draw huge crowds and increase voter registration. Pollsters predict record voter turnout this election. Obama will pull in independent minded voters. McCain, although he has held up well on the arduous campaign trails, and come back from the dead, if elected will be America's oldest president. Will he be able to govern in a second term?

Next Month
Summaries of each candidate's positions on major issues such as Energy, the Economy, War on Terror, Healthcare, and Budget Deficits.