America’s Goosebumps
A Politically Blonde Original
I have the goose bumps. After scrutinizing powerful speech after speech and witnessing grandiose crowd after crowd, I too have succumbed to the tingling sensation of which Chris Matthews speaks so highly, (I feel you, Chris!). There was a time I made fun of those of college teeny-bops for their boundless, baseless devotion.
Now, I realize– you just can’t fight your feelings!
Barack had me at “hope.”
Like a political version of Hannah Montana, Obama-mania has truly swept America. But we gut-voters shouldn’t get swept away.
I was reminded of that this weekend when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s gooey words jolted me back to reality. She called Obama “a leader that God has blessed us with at this time.”
At least at this point in the presidential race, it’s not all that clear that the junior senator from Illinois is God’s chosen leader. Frankly, I’m suspicious of anyone telling me such a thing, unless of course, it’s God Himself.
Is that You, God?
While listening to your heart is important, some matters call for a little background checking and factual investigation. Choosing a president is one of them.
Obama’s tendency to shilly-shally is exemplified by his voting record in the Illinois senate, where he gained the bulk of his legislative experience. He voted “present” 130 times in his eight years, the equivalent of saying “maybe” or “no comment at this time.” This doesn’t exactly qualify as bold leadership.
Obama’s allergy to hard questions that require hard answers has hardly faded. Just this past Saturday night at the Saddleback Civil Forum, Pastor Rick Warren asked for his view on when a baby officially gets human rights.
Visibly uncomfortable with his head down, a blinking Obama managed to stammer out this vague response:
“Whether you’re looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity is above my pay grade.”
It’s a tough one, so he’ll take another pass.
He also failed the opportunity to establish some foreign policy credibility when reports broke that the small, American-allied country of Georgia was under attack from its bullying neighbor, Russia. His initial call for both countries to show “restraint” in the conflict essentially amounted to a “best of luck” for Georgia (it took him two more tries to come out with the equally strong rhetoric of his Republican counterpart, John McCain.)
Maybe it is this penchant for tip-toeing around difficult issues that has caused U.S. voters to believe by a two-to-one margin that McCain is better qualified than Obama to deal with a resurgent Russia, according to a new Quinnipiac poll today.
However difficult he may be to pin down, Obama has shown himself to be quite capable of making a hard decision when it is not his decision to make. Take his opposition to the Iraq War, the trusty flag his supporters wave to emphasize his president-like courage and good judgment. Yet, given that Obama’s position as an Illinois state senator at the time granted him no national decision-making capacity, it was more like that of a junior varsity basketball player triumphantly claiming if only the varsity coach had listened to him, the team would have won the game.
Good call Senator, but it’s easy to tell people what to do when you’re not in the driver’s seat. Now, go practice some more so you can make varsity next year.
A little more practice wouldn’t hurt a candidate who, according to Associated Content’s fact check, spent only 225 actual work days in the U.S. Senate. So absent are Obama’s legislative achievements, that many supporters cannot name one single U.S. senatorial accomplishment by the candidate, which was embarrassingly reflected on live television this year.
With his optimistic vision and rich oratorical skills, there’s no doubt Obama has plenty of presidential potential. Yet, there’s something to be said for acquiring the experience of navigating Washington’s tricky political system over the years. There’s also something to be said for having made tough calls.
Intelligent people aren’t worried about whether Obama is deep down a Muslim or whether the New Yorker’s ridiculous satirical caricature may in fact come to life. The reality remains that the American public doesn’t really know Obama’s presidential qualifications because he hasn’t demonstrated something any executive needs: a strong decision-making ability.
While it’s not yet evident whether America’s goose bumps are from infatuation or inspiration, one thing is clear: how little the country knows about Barack Obama’s actual capability to lead.
