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FirmhandKY -> RE: A Question for liberals... (3/2/2009 1:40:58 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: slvemike4u
Rich,,if Kennedy had been judged as a result of a hard look at his "executive" experience as Commander of PT 109,or for that matter Lincoln as the elected (re:popular vote)Captain of militia....niether would have been elected President.
Let's stop calling it "executive experience". Let's call it "direct personal responsibility" leadership. Like "the buck stops here" experience.
The military is especially good at honing this ability, or exposing someone's inability to adapt to this type of leadership responsibility. During wartime, not only can you get a bad reputation, or screw stuff up, often times such screw ups can result in the loss of life (including your own). Even making the correct decision may result in death, and failure. How does a leader handle those type of situations? Reality has a way of not accepting excuses, and in not caring about your intentions - only the results.
Kennedy had some taste of that type of leadership, on a small level, and it allowed him to learn how to handle the challenges of the Presidency, even if the scale of personal responsibility was different. He had the grounding and mindset required to learn in a relatively short period of time when President.
Perhaps the biggest lesson a leader with direct, personal responsibility learns (or should learn) is that it's often LONELY when making decisions. That you often can't (or shouldn't) fob off your responsibilities to others, and sometimes no matter what decision you make, you are going to alienate a large number of people.
But you make the decision despite that, and then live with the consequences.
Some people freeze up (mentally, emotionally, or physically) when faced with such decisions. Others simply stop using logic and any kind of decision-making process and almost become irrational "decision guessers". Some people go to great efforts to avoid the responsibility, even when it is theirs, and cause many more times the damage by their failure to accept their responsiblities.
Having had"executive experience" really means having been in those type of situations, and having had come to grips within yourself on how to proceed to avoid that "freeze" or avoidance.
Nothing in Obama's history shows that he has had that kind of experience, and has become comfortable with making those kinds of decisions, or learned how he personally will handle those kinds of decisions.
Doesn't mean that he can't. He may be a prodigy. But until he has had the opportunity to show us (the American people) that he is capable of operating in that type of environment, and under that kind of pressure ... he will be suspect in many of the minds of people who know what being in a "personally responsible" leadership position means.
Including mine.
Firm
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