As I mentioned in the prior blog, I plan to write about why Obama and will; but, while ruminating on it, I read this today, and it seemed to begin that subject very well. Before someone says McCain might think this way also. He might but it happens to be Obama who said it. The big thing about Obama is his judgment. It's what some find fault with and what people who support him are believing is more important than years and years of political experience.
In Political Punch by Jake Tapper, I read some of a conversation between Obama and British Tory party leader, David Cameron, that got taped when they didn't know they were being recorded. The wisdom just seemed so good and something we all need to keep in mind. Cameron had just told Obama he needed a vacation.
This is part of Obama's response:
"... I am going to take a week in August. But I agree with you that somebody, somebody who had worked in the White House who -- not Clinton himself, but somebody who had been close to the process -- said that, should we be successful, that actually the most important thing you need to do is to have big chunks of time during the day when all you're doing is thinking. And the biggest mistake that a lot of these folks make is just feeling as if you have to be -- "
"These guys just chalk your diary up," said Cameron, referring to a packed schedule.
"Right," Obama said. "In 15 minute increments …"
"We call it the dentist's waiting room," Cameron said. "You have to scrap that because you've got to have time."
"And, well, and you start making mistakes," Obama said, "or you lose the big picture. Or you lose a sense of, I think you lose a feel-- "
"Your feeling," interrupted Cameron. "And that is exactly what politics is all about. The judgment you bring to make decisions."
"That's exactly right," Obama said. "And the truth is that we've got a bunch of smart people, I think, who know ten times more than we do about the specifics of the topics. And so if what you're trying to do is micromanage and solve everything then you end up being a dilettante but you have to have enough knowledge to make good judgments about the choices that are presented to you."
12 comments:
You are right on as always. Great piece! How anyone can consider McCain over Obama is a mystery to me, particularly if they go to the trouble to look beyond their own limitations. Bob Herbert has a great Op-Ed piece in the NYT today on the two.
Sylvia
This was very interesting, Rain, although the poor man's life is NOT his own now and won't be when he is president. I'm such a cynic. I was with a friend who is far out politically. He has no religion behind his beliefs, but he claims to be a Libertarian. But, he also seems to have a lot of what I derogatorily call "red neck beliefs." He tried to build a case against Obama for the first 10 minutes of our get together until I called a time out. When he told me he watched the only unbiased TV news, Fox News, I sighed. But--he thinks I'm a foolish liberal. The scary part of it is that this man is well educated. There are far too many people like him around. He also doesn't like McCain, however.
I agree with you completely, rain. Obama has enormous promise. I hope that the voters give him an opportunity to exercise his talents. Hearing him speak is like being reminded what thoughtful, smart, perceptive, and compassionate people really sound like.
I rate Obama and McCain about C+. Neither of them is a statesman.
i don't see it that way at all, Paul. I am writing about that for tomorrow. What is there about Obama that has made you feel he's not statesman like? Did you think Bush was? Perhaps you could name who you did see as statesmanlike to give a perspective on how you are rating this.
A very illuminating post! Taking a time out to think is very important not just for presidents but for everyone. It was taught by one of my high school English teachers. Plus we studied the tricks of advertising and propagand by practicing identification. (see http://rmhiherbal.org/review/2001-1.html Overcoming the Trickster: media wars of the 21st century) While reading critically we learned to write fully supporting our opinions. Fourteen years later during the 70's and 80's my children did not get this basic education needed for the continuation of democracy.
I don't want to be the t**d in the punchbowl Rain, but reading some of the "OBAMA! OBAMA!" comments here make me wonder, as has been pointed out by many articles, about the objectivity of BHO supporters. You seem to be a cheerleader for this man!
Statesman-like? Surely you remember BHO saying he would bomb Pakistan...
An action that would have VERY dire consequences not only in the war on terror, but with our relationships with allies now and in the future.
Agreeing to meet unconditionally with terrorist supporting countries, against the advice of MOST people who actually have EXPERIENCE in such matters (as opposed to BHO, who has what.... zero experience in that area?), is another situation where I would say he dropped the ball. You are impressed with his talking with Cameron about "having a bunch of smart people..." and as a Viet Nam Veteran who felt abandoned by my country, I cringe.
Shades of Robert McNamara during the JFK administration... VERY smart people can make mistakes, and when they do, they can be huge.
Remember the lessons of Soc. and Psy 101, my countrymen. Punish bad behavior and reward the good.
It's hard. It's necessary.
The man scares me.
The blindness and idolatry of his supporters scares me more.
Graybeard, we are cheerleaders for change and this year there is only one real chance for change. You cannot seriously believe McCain represents change. Give me a break. the man has had a mediocre senate career, hasn't voted on anything since April even though he has had his nomination guaranteed. He rides on a reputation as a war hero except not only was that a long time ago but how does it relate to being president? He sold out to the savings and loan industry when there was so much graft and he barely escaped censure for his role. I could go on and on with who he is and yet all you can do is attack Obama?
I think you don't like Obama's policies and if you are a right winger, I understand that. Understand this, for 8 years, we have had to live under a man who has undermined this nation's ethical standards, sold out to the highest bidder, been allowed to operate as a virtual dictator thansk to his party, pillaged our environment, let billions go into Iraq with no clue who got them other than it was Bush buddies or those who paid him off. You worry about health care costs, what about that?
I think that people who are still emotionally fighting to deal with what happened in Vietnam, as you and some of my other friends, have a hard time getting past that for what is going on today. I hear it in McCain with we have to have victory. Will it be victory if Iraq turns to Iran and forms a new power base in the Middle East
And what Obama said is he'd go after bin Laden in Pakistan. Guess what we are now doing-- going after bin Laden in Pakistan. He did NOT say he'd bomb the whole country to get him but it was likely okay with you when Bush did that to get Hussein and didn't mind who he killed on the way.
If we are cheerleaders for a new way, what does that make people like you who want to see us stuck in the old way. I have said it all along that Obama is a gamble. But so was Bush (who I didn't vote for either time) and the American people lost big time.
The whole way McCain is going with his latest ad to put down two girls in the celeb world while he attacks Obama and tries to say he's the same (admired only for his beauty and loose sexuality?) Say what? If McCain doesn't like hero worship, I suggest he has ridden on it his whole career. This is a man who left his handicapped wife and three kids to marry a hot looking multimillionaire and who knows how he's treated her. If he didn't have that hero schtick, he'd have nothing.
You can see clearly that Rove is behind all of the recent campaigning in the pits. If McCain gets in, Rove will be running the show again. Does that make you happy?
Oh I know, you plan to vote none of the above which would probably also guarantee more of Rovian tactics with McCain but you won't feel guilty because you did nothing.
Yes, I am a cheerleader for a new way, willing to take the risk to speak out. I write what I truly believe not what benefits me economically. I write what I believe is best in this country. That's what my blog is for-- my opinions.
Being a woman of nearly 65 years, I have seen a lot; so I am well aware Obama might be a disappointment. I know one thing, he can't do it by himself. If he doesn't follow through on the promises, we will cheerlead someone else. We will not give up. We will keep on until we find a person who really does care about what we do.
if you are a right winger, worried about more taxes, unhappy that young women have the option of abortion, upset that gays might actually get to live normal lives like everybody else, worried that Obama is a socialist, well we have been worried about a trashing of the Constitution, a sell out of our government for the highest bidder, government using religion and 'patriotism' to make citizens afraid to speak out or even to think, and they call that Fascism.
I know good people who think like you do; and frankly, you seem like a good man to me. I just wish you would open your mind to what might be possible and not just worry about what has been.
Frankly nobody could do worse by us than Bush has. Nobody. And we are heading into tough times with climate changes ahead, maybe more earth disasters, dangers from countries a lot more capable of hurting us than the Muslim nations, a military that has been absued to avoid citizens paying a true price for the war they want. Times ahead could involve diseases the likes of which we have not seen. This is no time to not speak up nor a time to worry the most about taxes. I don't see McCain as remotely able to handle what lies ahead. And if you read the link to Foreclosure Phil, you would question the quality of the men and women he might appoint once he gets in. If he follows the example of Bush, lord help us.
I was out today with the sheep and luckily at the right time to get off a shot at a coyote who was about to have lamb chops on the hoof, but that predator has been here before, got one of our lambs two weeks ago and it will be back.
Some dangers are easy to see. Others take being open to what is there. What we cheerleaders want is a new way and maybe you don't.
Maybe you like things as they are. I would suggest something though if you do and take it as it's said in friendship because like I said, you seem like someone I would probably like in the neighborhood. Vote for McCain since he's the lesser of your evils. It is the most ethical thing to do because none of the above is a cop out. It will be either McCain or Obama and to say none of the above just tries to duck responsibility. This time for me, it's not the lesser of the evils. I genuinely think it's got a good shot at something good with Obama, but I have sure done it a lot of times. Voted and not happily but I have voted. It's part of what you were fighting for in Vietnam-- another war we should have never been in. No, we can't refight it now, but we can learn from it and treat our soldiers with respect for what they have done something that didn't happen back then. We can blame the government for its bad choices but a soldier does what he's told whether he believes in it or not. What's that saying in the Tennyson poem-- ours not to reason why. Well we are in a situation where as a nation we have to reason why we are doing what we are and what might lie ahead even worse that we are ignoring while distracted. Sometimes I wonder who is it that wants it distracted...
this was a rant but I have strong feelings on all of this also.
I am 61.
I have seen more things in those years than most see in 100.
I don't like what I see in the future.
Done.
well hopefully you can live such a way as to put beauty and goodness into your life, to find the goodness in things because whether someone sees it as I do or you, it's clear we have to make our own life good. It's the one thing we really do have control over. And it's hard enough sometimes. I try with this blog to write about issues and politics only part of the time to keep some perspective on the rest of what is good about life. Whether someone is on the right or the left, I think we are all worried.
Hope you will read some of my other topics, the ones that are more about us and living good than about the government where we may have only limited ability to impact anyway.
No Rain, that last was in response to your question about BHO's Statesmanship, or lack thereof.
You didn't like my answer and didn't respond to it. I'm sorry, but I wonder how you can call me close-minded.
If you want to chat further, you know where you can.
well that's your choice, graybeard. I won't hold back from what I think but it's a shame that you won't post if you don't get the answers you want. I did respond to the pakistan thing but the other I have written about over and over. In the case of what Obama said, he will talk to the leaders of countries who have terrorists. We do that now with Syria. We do it with Pakistan who has harbored bin Laden for 7 years. I don't think that Obama has shown poor judgement on anything but certainly see that McCain did with his thinking it'd be an easy war. Judgment doesn't necessarily come from being old or experienced. Sometimes it's just in us or not. The longer someone stays in DC, the more questionable their judgment is.
I asked Paul what he thought was a statesman like person and if you do come back here to check this, you might answer that question. What leader is statesmanlike or even was.
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