On the Contrary

As President-Elect Obama is inaugurated as President of the United States, you are going to hear over and over again the refrain, “It really is true, anyone can be President.”  It is a great moment for this country.  But don’t be fooled by the rhetoric.  Atheists and Muslims need not apply.  We still have a religious test for office and if you are not a mainstream Christian you don’t have a prayer, so to speak.  But the most important lesson to be learned here is that not just anybody can be President.  The case in point is the last occupant of the White House.

The latest polls indicate that at least 73% of us (only 27% approval rating) understand that the presidency of George W. Bush has been an unmitigated disaster.  One has to wonder what the other 27% are thinking about.  In the San Francisco Chronicle Saturday, that minority was heard from in a letter to the Editor from Mr. Randy Kelly thanking President Bush for:

• “Standing up to the terrorists and keeping us safe for seven years” – Of course he totally ignored warnings up to 9-11; there are more terrorist attacks throughout the world than ever before; you can’t prove the negative; intelligence tells us that Al-Qaeda had other strategic goals; and our own National Intelligence Estimates tell us that the threat is greater than it has ever been
• “For freeing the people of Iraq and Afghanistan from unthinkable tyranny” – Ignoring that Afghanistan according to Adm. Mike Mullen, the Joint Chief of Staff, is a war we are losing; and that Iraq is really a theocracy whose stability is very much in question; and there are still 4 million displaced Iraqis
• “For 6-plus years of economic expansion, low interest rates/inflation and record home ownership” – Ignoring the question of economic expansion for whom since the middle class is actually losing ground; the gap between the rich and the poor is greater than it has been since the Great Depression; low interest rates allowed plenty of available capital to fund the housing bubble; and more people are losing their homes than in any time in our history; we have the greatest run up in national debt of any President; and the economy is in shambles as he leaves office
• “For appointing justices and judges that respect the Constitution and the rule of law” – Mixed message here as the retired judge he appointed to oversee the Guantanamo trails finally called proceedings failed due to torture, but what he really means is justices and judges who agree with him where his definition of activist judge is anyone who doesn’t agree with him or his interpretation of the law
• “For respecting life, including the unborn and millions of AIDS victims in Africa” – Ignoring that along with his aid to AIDS Victims was the denial of condoms to prevent AIDS; his stand on stem cell research that prevented advances in medicine that could save millions of existing suffering human beings; and dividing this country once again on the abortion issue which most of us hope is settled law
• “For being a commander in chief that the military respected and supported with unprecedented re-enlistments” – Ignoring that Americans always answer the call when their nation is attacked; that it is now clear that he lied to them and us about Iraq (think Pat Tillman); and that for many the only jobs available are in the military
• “For carrying yourself with class, dignity and integrity even in the face of classless attacks from a biased media and way too-liberal Congress” – Ignoring that that “way too-liberal Congress” was Republican for six of the eight years he trashed our Constitution; that that dignity and integrity led to Abu Ghraid, and Guantanamo; and that biased media basically went along with him to get us into the Iraq War

I guess the devil is in the details.  And it is the details that either makes a great President or a failed one.  Chris Matthews, who can drive me to distraction with his interrupting style of interviewing, hit upon the underlying truth about this President in his commentary after President Bush’s farewell speech.   Paraphrasing Chris, President Bush did not have the intellectual depth to be able understand the complexities of the issues or have the historical perspective to deal appropriately with those complexities.

Take his simple-minded approach to spreading democracy.  What we got was the election of radical terrorists in Lebanon and Gaza.  Had he a better understanding of the Enlightenment that proceeded our own awakening constitutional democracy, he may have understood that voting alone is not democracy.  Had he an understanding of the history of the Middle East and their culture, we may not have invaded Iraq or failed so miserably in Afghanistan.  Had he an in depth understanding of how capitalism and its abuses have lead to economic collapses, he may not have been so ready to deregulate everything.  Had he a real understanding of human rights, he would have understood that torture violates everything we stand for and the short-term gains result in our long-term demise as a moral leader and force in the world.

So back to my point:  No, Virginia, there is no Santa Clause and no, not everyone can be President.  If you want to be President, you need to be well prepared with an in depth understanding of history and culture. You need to be one of those pointy headed intellectuals that President Bush and his minions, who have brought this country to its knees, so often disparaged.  You also need to be exceedingly emotionally mature, to be able to listen to criticism and learn from it instead of just reacting to it.  You will know the difference between being confident and being arrogant.  You will know what you don’t know.  And most importantly, you can learn from your mistakes.  Those that are truly qualified are few and far between.  Barack Obama may just be one of those few.  He certainly will be tested soon enough.