I have been thinking about this question lately, espeially after reading about the Wesley Clark brouhaha. That was really interesting to read about. Everyone was excoriating Wesley Clark for disrespecting Senator McCain’s military service. When I actually read the transcript of the exchange from Face the Nation (see http://securingamerica.com/node/2993) I was surprised. While I do not agree with everything he said, I don’t really think that he said anything that was disrespectful, but brought up a good issue of what experience is necessary to be a good president. The exchange that seemed to get everyone overheated was:
“Bob Schieffer:I have to say, Barack Obama has not had any of those experiences either, nor has he ridden in a fighter plane and gotten shot down. I mean-
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, I don’t think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be President.”
I would have to agree with this General Clark’s point. Clearly, serving in the military and being willing to sacrifice for our country, and the courage necessary to survive as a prisoner of war are things that I respect and show traits that would be helpful in being a good president, but that does not mean that that they provide executive experience (which is the point that General Clark was trying to make – I am, however, surprised that he discounts the leadership of a squadron and the time on the Armed Services committee).
In any case, regardless of the specifics of this case, it brings up a really interesting issue: What is necessary to be a good president? General Clark earlier in the interview highlighted good judgement and good communication as two important qualifications for president. I agree, I think that good judgement may be the most important qualification. However, I do not think that it is possible to objectively compare candidates based on their judgement – of necessity our view of what good judgment is will depend on our values and point of view. So other than good judgment, what characteristics or experiences help make a good president. I will give a preliminary list of things that I have come up with and how I think the two candidate rate on each one.
Personal Integrity – this one is similar to Judgment, but may be slightly more objective. Unfortunately, however, political campaigns do not seem to be a good place to highlight personal integrity. While I have a good impression of the integrity of both candidates generally, during the campaign neither seems to hesitate to twist circumstances for there own good. Although this is not new, I had higher hopes for Obama and McCain.
Communication – An important role of the president is to inspire and persuade, to negotiate and use diplomacy. Although there clearly needs to be substance behind rhetoric and oratory skills, these serve a much greater purpose than just rousing the crowd at political rallies. I think that Barack Obama has an edge here although John McCain is a good communicator in certain venues.
Knowledge and experience with how government works – This can be both a good think and a bad thing as it can lead to business as usual. While McCain clearly has much more legeslative experience and time in the Senate, Obama has taught Constitutional Law and clearly has a pretty good handle on how the government is supposed to work.
Ability to listen to and learn from advisors – I think this is important, although again the president needs to avoid being swayed too much by advisors and has to be willing to make tough decisions. I don’t at this point have a good handle on either candidate in this respect.
Executive experience – this is probably the most directly related, but I don’t really think that there is another executive position that is really similar to being the president. I don’t think that either candidate has a lot of executive experience. On the other hand, executive experience certainly does not guarantee a successful presidency as recent experience has taught us.
Understanding of the challenges and needs of the American People – This is another hard one to guage. However, Barack Obama has experience as a community organizer that gives him a rare perspective for a politician. It is ironic that he is sometimes viewed as elitist since I think he is more familiar with issues of lower-class Americans than most politicians.
I am sure there are more qualifications, and I will continue to think about this more, because this is an important part of determining who to vote for. For my part I do not think that there is a clearcut answer to which candidate is the best prepared by their experience to be president.