Sizing Up the 2008 Candidates: Barack Obama (Part 1)

2007-01-28T15:42:00.000-08:00

After mercilessly criticizing a couple of friends over their support for Barack Obama's candidacy (and hearing their bizarrely emotional retorts), I figured it would be somewhat useful to write a brief treatise on why Mr. Barack Obama is unfit to be President of the United States. A treatise may be rather difficult, though, seeing as Mr. Obama has done next to nothing of significance. Say what you will of Hillary Clinton and Bill Richardson—they're at least qualified for the job. The case with Mr. Obama is something akin to the prom king bombarding the graduation stage during the valedictorian's speech.

But why is Mr. Obama even the prom king? "The sense of hope he brings to Americans!" proclaim his supporters, the most ardent of whom appear to be twentysomethings. "His charisma!" exclaim third-party bystanders who remain neutral. So, basically, liberals have conceded that what we really need in a twenty-first century leader is not a lengthy resume, a strong philosophy, or an unshakeable character. What we really need now is some goddamn charisma! As long as it makes us feel good, they say, the results on the ground are irrelevant.

In an increasingly complex political environment, encompassing the fight against Islamic terrorism, the rise of government intervention in the economy, exploding deficits, and a public that is understandably wary of the Bush Administration, Obama supporters say that what we really need is a guy who can fire up a crowd.

Yes, it would be mighty nice to have a guy who can fire up a crowd (George Bush ain't cuttin' it), but we should worry about that in the man who has displayed competence and judgment over the course of many years and challenges after we've found him (or her!). Picking a President shouldn't be blindly swinging a stick at a pinata, hoping without evidence that the person we chose can give us the goodies we wanted. Fortunately for Americans, our politicians have public resumes. Stack up Senator Obama's two-bullet-point resume against the solid results of Mayor Giuliani's, and the prospect of an Obama presidency just doesn't seem so appealing, regardless of whether you agree with him. If Democrats were serious about nominating a person with proven experience, they'd nominate Bill Richardson, but at this point, Richardson, a former Secretary of Energy, Governor, and Ambassador, seems to be performing an audition for the vice-presidential slot on the ticket. Mr. Obama's biggest claims to fame are his #1 New York Times bestseller "The Audacity of Hope" and the fact that he was the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention.

In 1992, 1996, or 2000, a man like Obama was a more realistic choice: we were in the midst of unprecedented peace and prosperity. But the post-Cold War playtime is over. We're facing a threat such as we've never seen before from Islamist terrorism (not to mention the threat of impending socialism, domestically). Obama's politics of emotion won't fly in 2008.

The Angry Libertarian

Sizing Up the 2008 Candidates: Barack Obama (Part 1)