Политическое

[azbukivedi]

I like an intelligent guy (or gal) as much as the other person. Someone who is reflective, pensive, a deep thinker who looks at the problem from every conceivable angle, an eloquent man exemplifying Plato’s Philosopher King. I am not so sure, however, that this type of man is the one best suited to be the Commander in Chief. We have the Legislative and the Judicial branches of the government, where discussion and disputation of issues is not just welcome, it’s a necessity. Philosophers and orators make great Senators, not to mention college professors. On the other hand, the Executive branch of the government (from the word ‘execute’) is for decision makers. These people have to be able to listen, delegate, take sides, and issue orders. Can a brilliant man be decisive? Yes. Where is Teddy Roosevelt when you need him? It is, however, quite rare. We either see one, or the other. Clinton lived by opinion polls, Reagan was no deep thinker, Carter was a waffle, etc. One can certainly argue that W. is occasionally listening to the wrong people and is a Jesus-freak who appoints others like him (Ashcroft) to the high-level executive roles. He most certainly made many mistakes that I would not enumerate here, although steel tariffs and post-war planning in Iraq stand out. But he strikes me as a man who can lead, a man who lives by his convictions rather than polls, a man who would not sell his country (a note: trying to establish a steady oil supply is not selling the country, it’s saving it; without a steady oil supply we will be plunged into another Great Depression). I’d take this guy over boorish pseudointellectual ass like Kerry any day of the week.

Having said all that, why can’t we find someone in this great, almost 300 million strong country that most people would be enthusiastic about? I was reading “The Economist” (my favorite magazine, by far), and they are talking about a potential race for NY governorship: Spitzer vs. Guilliani. The consensus was that if such race pans out, it would be a tough one: two smart, popular, can-do guys, fiscally conservative, socially moderate, can relate to people, etc. I couldn’t help thinking: why NY? Why do we have two great guys potentially vying for NY governorship, but no great guys vying for the leadership of the country? Yeah, I know, the political system in this country discourages honest, smart men from entering politics, especially at high lever. Still, I find it sad…