Blog about Leadership

John McCain and Barack Obama are definitely members of different generations. John McCain is 72 years old with his birth date of August 29, 1936. Barack Obama is 47 years old with his birth date of August 4, 1961. With a quarter century difference between, they have one thing in common – they both are the current best of their generations.

With John McCain it is obvious; he has a lifetime of service to causes greater than himself and service to the United States as both a pilot in the Navy who sacrificed greatly as a prisoner of war and a legislator who rose above the corruption of Washington to be one of the very few who never took any earmarks, putting the nation above his own ambition, and setting aside politics to reach across the aisle on issues that have a significant impact on the betterment of the US.

In Barack Obama’s case, the future may still bring from this generation other rising stars and people of greatness, but at this moment in time, he is the best of his generation. He grasped the opportunities in this country, studied hard, and today is recognized as a brilliant political mind with a meteoric ability to influence and inspire. He has earned a high commendation; I’m just not entirely certain he has earned a place as leader of the Democratic Party and one of two candidates for Presidency.

Friday night’s first 2008 Presidential debate presented the choice before the American people and the choice is not overwhelming or decisive. Either candidate will be a great leader, which is bordering on irony for the stark difference between them. I have my opinion on who is a great leader for America, but I want to explore for a minute what it takes to participate in a Presidential debate.

What it takes to participate in a Presidential debate:

1) Good health for physical and mental endurance

Both of these candidates have been campaigning for nearly two years. Each day of a Presidential campaign is long with significant travel time, preparation, discussions, interviews, speeches, and town hall meetings. Candidates have to be in very good health for the mental and physical endurance required for the campaign trail.

2) Quick mind to be able to think on one’s feet

Presidential candidates need to be able to think on their feet. The debate platform does not provide for the opportunity to contemplate, research, and formulate one’s response. Pauses and slow responses give the perception of indecisiveness and/or the perception of incompetence to handle the issues.

For example: on Friday night, Jim Lehrer started the debate with a quote from, then, General Dwight Eisenhower from his campaign for President in 1952, “We must achieve both security and solvency; in fact the foundation of military strength is economic strength.”* John McCain was able to quickly think on his feet and responded with his story of the two letters Gen. Eisenhower wrote on the eve of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, with his response about need for a return to a sense of accountability.

3) Broad general knowledge

Broad general knowledge provides the relevant information that is necessary to be presented with ideas and be able to understand what the idea implies and how it relates to other ideas. Broad general knowledge is what is required to formulate one’s opinion without bigotry and hypocrisy. The absence of broad general knowledge breeds ignorance, bigotry, and dissonance.

4) Clear understanding of topics in debate

For this, I’ll merely rely upon a quote: “Whatever we conceive well we express clearly, and words flow with ease. ~Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux in L’ Art Poetique (translated from French) You can draw your own logical conclusion of what happens otherwise.

 *On a side note, for a good book on the topic of economics and military strength, read Paul Kennedy’s The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict From 1500 to 2000. I read this book when I was a soldier on a training exercise in 2004 and Paul Kennedy provided a lot of thought for me about our current eco-militant situation.

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