What role does experience, expertise, and good judgment play in the vetting of a Presidential candidate? I would submit to you the premise that any President of the United States will face issues that his predecessors have not faced, and therefore cannot be equipped by experience on the best way to act.
In fact, challenges will arise that are beyond anyone’s experience. While it can be said that experience informs a President and helps him or her to make good judgments, there is an element that weighs more heavily in the equation: Character.
Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney, as has been pointed out frequently by the Obama campaign, possess decades of experience, but lack good judgment.
The real issue is that both experience and character inform a President as to how best exercise good judgment. Character is not enough all by itself. Jimmy Carter proved that. A decent man, and a great ex-President, but he was definitely an under-performer as President of the United States. Yet, there have been few Presidents equal to his character and the desire to care for his fellow man.
As above, Rumsfeld and Cheney show that lack of character can trump even the longest list of accomplishments in public office. The result? Bad decisions, imperiling our nation at every turn.
Character is essential. Presidents do not make decisions in a vacuum. Based on their character, they select advisers to assist them in fact-finding and understanding different points-of-view concerning many important issues.
Character determines what a President does with those years of experience and the advice gleaned from trusted counselors. Character determines what agendas, hidden or not, are pursued while President.
In Donald Rumsfeld’s memo after the 09-11-2001 attack, he said to:
"Go massive. Sweep it all up. Things related and not."
His flawed character led Rumsfeld to believe that our national tragedy could be used opportunistically to pursue a neocon agenda of self-interest and world domination developed nearly a decade before.
The character flaw of the neocons Rumsfeld, Cheney, Wolfowitz, Perle, Yoo, and Kagan is that they believe that the ends justifies the means. As trite as that might sound, they believe in sacrificing American lives and treasure to establish and maintain the United States as the only military superpower in the world.
They see the necessity of United States supremacy as a zero-sum game. We must accrue resources needed at the expense of other countries. We must rise and others must fall. This lack of character and a narcissistic view of the United States often results in blow-back, unintended consequences of a political action or decision.
A narcissistic nation can have no true allies, as self-interest must be the guiding principle of every decision. National narcissism means that one must approve of everything a nation does in the name of promoting that government. Any criticism of the narcissistic nation means that you are not patriotic, which is implied to mean that you are being unfaithful to one's own country or people.
Character, judgment, and experience all must dictate a President’s actions. Strength of character allows for a President to not fear scrutiny or criticism. Character means having a clear understanding of how a President's actions are going to impact the nation and the world.
If judgment is lacking, there is no remedy, except for able advisers. Since the President appoints his advisers, a President with poor judgment would appoint advisers that were not the "best and the brightest", and would thus not be likely to give sound advice.
If experience is lacking, with the aid of good character and trusted advisers, the President may successfully, though painfully, navigate the ship of State through many storms.
If character is lacking, no amount of experience or judgment will be able to guide the President successfully throughout his or her term of office.
As we have seen in these horrific seven years of the Bush Administration, a President with poor judgment, no experience, and a flawed character can do more harm to America and the Constitution than any terrorist organization could in their wildest dreams.
Character matters. Character cares. The United States, and the world, desperately need a President with character.
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