Senator John McCain
Experience:
Senator McCain has indeed been in the Senate for 22 years, after serving 3 terms in the House. I realize it seems as though he has been there forever, but I checked and he did not sign the Declaration of Independence; however, had he been there, he would have. While he has not been the leader of the country or of a state, his experience is significant. His reputation is that of being his own man and has at times been at odds with his party’s leadership. Clearly, however, he understands the workings of the federal government and has many accomplishments to his credit. He also has unlikely supporters from the other side of the aisle, which because it is so unusual, is a positive.
Military Expertise:
Of the three candidates, he is the expert on the military. He went to the Naval Academy and served in the military with George Washington. He may be 250 years old, but he is the best suited to be Commander in Chief of the armed forces.
Economic Acumen:
He has stated that this is not an area of great strength. Fair enough. He will have access to the top economic advisors in the country. The thing to consider is that McCain admitting his lack of depth in economics shows self awareness and that is a plus. Also, of the three, he probably remembers the Depression and will steer clear of that in the future.
Unifier:
First, let’s not kid ourselves with this section. The reason there are Democrats and Republicans is because they disagree on what is better for the country. Because of that, they will all talk of unifying Congress and none of them will be able to do it. Nor will they especially want to. He does have, however, a strong supporter in Joe Lieberman, a long time Democrat and now Independent who has led some bi-partisan initiatives.
His detractors will argue that he has a temper and can fly off the handle if provoked. Well, that is bad news. We need more cuddly Presidents like Ike, Reagan, or Clinton. Such teddy bears. Please someone yell at Nancy Pelosi immediately.
Conclusion: I wish he had some chief executive experience like that of a Governor, but he will get a 2nd interview.
Senator Hillary Clinton
Experience:
She claims to have spent the last 35 years serving the people of this country. Let’s break that down and see just what she really has done.
She worked as a lawyer in Arkansas. No matter what she specialized in, this is not relevant experience. When asked for detail on her work experience at the Rose Law Firm, she has a hard time remembering what she did or showing any correlating documentation. (Red Flag)
She sat on the board of Wal-Mart. Having sat on a few boards myself, I can report that this is an exercise in bladder control and listening. Most board meetings consist of the management team of the company presenting the progress of the business. That means they go through a detailed discussion of financial performance. As a board member, you also get to ask questions and eat sandwiches. The management team is trying desperately to survive the meeting without being asked the question they have no answer for and the pat response to any suggestion from the board is, “That is a great idea; we’ll look into it immediately.”
She was First Lady of Arkansas. Fantastic. Let’s move on.
She spent 8 years as First Lady of the United States. Admittedly, she was heavily involved early on as her husband gave health care reform to her to keep her busy. There may be millions of Americans who do not have healthcare, however, I can assure you there are millions more who are thrilled her plan was rejected. Next, she wrote a book about the village raising the child, which I think was code for, “we need to raise taxes so we can afford to raise the children.” With the logic that being First Lady prepares one to be President, I would like to present the new quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, Jessica Simpson.
She has now been in the Senate since January 2001. This is where her relevant experience begins. She is on the Armed Services Committee and is well versed on the military and she helped draft legislation for the new GI Bill Of Rights. Clearly she has performed well in this role as evidenced by her re-election. Her critics will say she refuses to let the truth get in the way of her argument.
Military Experience:
None
Economic Acumen:
She firmly believes that those that make over $75,000 annually are the rich. Her father would be happy to know that he wasn’t middle class after all.
Unifier:
Please.
Conclusion: You have done some good work, but this job is bigger than your 7 years experience.
Senator Barack Obama
Experience:
Not since “The Hudsucker Proxy” has someone been promoted so quickly for accomplishing so little. I first heard the Senator speak at the Democratic National Convention before the 2004 elections. I thought he was a great speaker. But we are not electing great speakers; otherwise Tony Robbins would be President.
His website states he was a community activist. Fun work if you can get it. However, it does not pay very well and it only prepares you for a career as a community activist. Or a heckuva sign painter.
Senator Obama has been in the Senate for 2 years. Let’s keep an eye on this kid because I think he has some potential, but let’s not move him along to soon.
Military Experience:
None. He says he would bring the troops home from Iraq quickly. Active military leaders say that is not possible. Gosh, I don’t know who to believe, General Petraus with all those stars on his jacket, or Senator-come-lately.
He may have marched as a community activist but that hardly counts as military experience.
Economic Acumen:
Who knows? He is a lawyer by trade and even at Harvard they don’t teach economics in Law School. Again, smart guy but let him accomplish something before we compare him to Reagan.
Unifier:
He lives in the far left side of the Democratic party. He will be the great unifier along with the other great unifier, Tom Delay from the other party.
Conclusion: Your website asks people to believe you. Well in the words of the great Clara Peller, “Where’s the Beef?!”
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As I stated at the beginning, reviewing résumés and making hires is one of the most important duties of the successful executive. You have to verify that the candidate has been honest in the creation of the document. The best way to get to the truth is to ask very specific questions and keep asking until the answers are clear and the information is easily confirmed.