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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Reed Markham is the author of such books as Leadership 2000, Excellence in Public Speaking, and Effective Speechwriting. While most of his writing concentrates on oratory, I want to share with you a quote from Reed Markham about one difference between a good leader and a great leader.

Quote from Reed Markham about a Good Leader and a Great Leader:
“A good leader inspires other men and women with confidence. A great leader inspires them with confidence in themselves.”

Leadership is influence and inspiration is one of the most effective ways to influence people. We are inspired by Michael Phelps by winning 8 gold medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and many young boys and girls will be lead to work hard and pursue their athletic dreams; some may even go on to become Olympians themselves.

Inspiring Presidential Candidates

Many are inspired by Barack Obama – the rise of the son of a Kenyan father and Kansan mother who went from a community organizer in the mid-90s to be the first African American candidate on a major political party ticket for the Presidency of the United States.

Many are inspired by the story of John McCain. The son and grandson of US Navy Admirals who refused any special treatment and barely survived six years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. The man who later went onto become a US Senator with the rare accomplishments of leading bipartisanship toward issues of campaign finance, border security, and banning torture.

Many also are inspired by Hillary Clinton who was the first viable woman for the Presidency having won nearly 18 million votes in the Democrat Party Primary. In this year of “change” we also have Sarah Palin, the Alaskan Governor who has built a national support base in the matter of less than two weeks as the Republican VP candidate.

Inspired by History in the Making

We are inspired by fact that for the first time in American history, this election in 2008 will be one of the most significant elections in our lifetime. Not only is this the first time that the election was completely open on both sides of the political spectrum, but which ever party wins will make history – either the first African American to be President or the first woman to be Vice President.

With all the history making this year, we are inspired with renewed confidence in our nation. We are inspired to believe that no matter the economic obstacles, we can bounce back and drive on. We are inspired that regardless of the foreign challenges from Islamic terrorism, Russian aggression, or trade disparities; we have the opportunity (or more accurately, the uniquely American “ability”…) to self-correct.

Our nation, which is one of the youngest nations, but one of the oldest governments, inspires confidence in the ennoblement of being American.

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I wasn’t able to watch the speech as I was in the hospital with my father who has a tumor in the bile ducks of his liver; he was going through an outpatient procedure that turned in to a night in the hospital when he was in too much pain to go home. My father does not make a lot of money; he works hard, but he is fine. While he is not able to work at this time, he is covered by the short-term and long-term disability insurance provided by his company. At this time, he is still covered under the health insurance provided by his company. He is someone who got a skill set, found a decent job, and works hard to ensure he keeps his job. So when problems arise, he is able to make it through and this time will be not different than any other.

It is now Saturday around lunch time and I am at home watching Barack Obama’s speech on Youtube. I intend to watch all the speeches that were given this week, even though I know most of what will be said is rhetoric and designed as a promotional show for the DNC rather than anything of substance on the issues.

I can sum up my opinion of Barack Obama’s speech in one word – disappointing. Forty-five years after Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a Dream” speech and the first viable, black American candidate for the Presidency gave a speech that was more divisive and focused on opposing John McCain rather than a message in the same spirit of that great leader from the civil rights movement who laid the way for Barack Obama to even stand a chance.

My general opinion of Barack Obama is more positive and optimistic than my opinion of the speech he gave, but perhaps that is the reason. I expected more from him.

To be fair and balanced, he is campaigning in a close and difficult race with John McCain, so I understand the necessity to clearly oppose the Republican candidate. In time, if Barack Obama wins the Presidency, we may experience the leadership that we expect from him, but Thursday night that leadership was not evident. All I experienced was the same, divisive tone of politics that we always get – which I found ironic for a candidate who touted “Change you can believe in” rather than “More of the same.”

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I always enjoy a good quote. I have taken inspiration and thought critically about several of Harold Geneen’s quotes. I’ve never read any of his books (please don’t interpret this as any consideration other than I have a limited amount of time to read and too many other books on my shelf).

Quote about Leadership from Harold Geneen:
“Leadership cannot really be taught. It can only be learned.”

I think this quote may be a bit subject to critique, but in general I do agree that “leadership cannot really be taught.” Leaders can be developed and mentored, but learning leadership is the responsibility of the individuals themselves. Learning leadership does not come from a book (or a blog, but please continue to read LeadershipJot.com!). Leadership is learned from practice and experience.

One thing that all leaders have in common is a lifetime of experience. The younger the leader is the more immature their leadership potential. The more mature the leader is the stronger their leadership potential. However, don’t judge a leader by his age. Barrack Obama may be significantly younger than Hillary Clinton or John McCain, but you cannot say he is not an effective leader. He has been running a predominately successful campaign for the Democratic Party nomination for President against more experienced and more established candidates. His has inspired and influenced many potential constituents and he has definitely left his mark on US Presidential politics.

A leader, like Barrack Obama, who may be young or just younger than others, is a leader who gained significantly from his experience in a short period of time by emphasizing quality and not merely quantity. This may be attributed to intelligence, wisdom, or, perhaps, leadership potential.

At any rate, the quality of a leader’s experience is demonstrated in their effectiveness as a leader. The quality of experience may compensate for the quantity of experience.

(Please note: this is not an endorsement for Barrack Obama.)

Other quotes about leadership from Harold Geneen:
“Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions.”
“Uncertainty will always be part of the taking charge process.”

Books by Harold Geneen:

• The Synergy Myth: And Other Ailments Of Business Today, with Brent Bowers, St. Martin’s Press, ISBN 0-312-14724-4
• Synergy and Other Lies: Downsizing, Bureaucracy, and Corporate Culture Debunked, with Brent Bowers, St. Martin’s Press, ISBN 0-312-20080-3
• Managing, with Alvin Moscow, Avon Books, ISBN 0-380-69986-9
• Alta dirección, with Alvin Moscow, Lectorum Pubns Inc, ISBN 84-253-1871-8

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Today is the State of Wisconsin Primary and for the first time in a long while I am at home instead of voting by absentee ballot. There are very few leadership positions as important as the Presidency of the United States, so I have been giving a lot of contemplation as to who I feel is the best leader for the next four-to-eight years.

John McCain

Back in 2000, I was a supporter for John McCain, a highly respectable patriot, knowledgeable and experienced candidate, and someone who is able to make better decisions than most. This year, he is the presumptive nominee with a clear and decisive lead of delegates for the Republican Party nomination.

With the DNC

This year, I am contemplating casting my vote in the Democratic Party. In Wisconsin, voters are allowed to register at the voting booth and select party affiliation at that time. By the way, the open primary registration of Wisconsin works to the advantage of Senators Obama and McCain who both do very well among independent voters.

Hillary Clinton

I honestly do not believe Senator Clinton to be the best choice. She is way too divisive for a leader. I think there would be more problems between the executive and legislative branches of government if she was elected. Do not misunderstand, I think she is very intelligent and capable as a politician, but I do not think she is who this country needs at this time.

Barack Obama

Senator Obama is, in my opinion, a highly influential leader. His oratorical abilities and celebrity status, allow him a great deal latitude from which to lead. I do not agree with every position that he takes, but I don’t 100% agree with every position that any of the candidates take. I do think that America needs an influential leader – someone who can inspire, influence, and provoke positive action.

Party Politics

As you can probably discern from this blog entry, I do not allow myself to be limited by political parties. I think it was George Washington, in his farewell address who warned against political parties and history has proven him to be accurate and wise. Great many problems have risen from party politics. Too many issues become a matter of competition to win than a decision to make for the best interest of the nation. The only good is the default mode of restraint in passing new legislation.

Jeffersonian Principle of Government

The Jeffersonian Principle of Government from our third President, Thomas Jefferson, is that government that governs best is that government that governs least. The division caused by a dual party system does keep the legislature in check, but too often distracts from issues that truly matter. There are thousands of young men and women who are dying in this nation’s wars in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and against terrorism. Too many people are struggling paycheck-to-paycheck in our economy, while fat-cat executives are given huge severance packages when they fail in their jobs. These two issues – war and economy – are the top two issues for me and most significant problems facing our nation at this time.

Casting my Vote to Make a Difference

So, today, I am going to cast my vote to play my role and be responsible for the governing of this nation. Freedom, of course, is not free. It comes with the high cost of responsibility. If we want to maintain a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” then we need to be responsible to fulfill our obligations by participating in the political process.

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