Hillary Clinton Candidate for President
Almost everyone will agree that Hillary Clinton is a very smart woman. In addition, she is motivated to the extreme to become the next President of the United States.
She has chosen her political path wisely. As First Lady from 1992 until 2000 she was able to build an impressive Rolodex file of powerful people who someday could help her in her run for President.
Yes, I believe even that far back Hillary Clinton had Presidential ambitions.
Elected in 2000 as a US Senator from New York she has worked tirelessly as an advocate for women’s rights, for children and families, and has been a leader on homeland security and national security issues.
Her years in the Senate had proven her to be an effective leader. She has served the people of New York well after convincing them through smart campaigning in 2000 that she was capable of serving.
She is now the front runner for the Democratic nomination for President. Her organizational abilities and her willingness to place people as smart as or even smarter than she is in key positions is paying off. So is her ability to rise campaign funds. Hillary reported a record amount, over $25 million, raised in the first quarter of 2007.
None of the above means that Hillary is a shoe in for the nomination. Barack Obama is proving to be a strong, capable and inspiring campaigner. John Edwards still has a passion in his campaigning. A new crisis may erupt that the candidates may have to take a position on. The wrong position in the minds of enough voters may do any of the candidates in.
At this stage of the campaigning, however, one has to give Mrs. Clinton the nod. She is more experienced at political affairs than any of her opponents. She is an extremely well prepared campaigner. Hillary does her homework.
An example of that is a recent panel discussion on stem-cell research at Dartmouth College presided over by Hillary. One of the panel members had this to say. Nancy Speck, who teaches biochemistry at the medical center, told Clinton, “I’m extremely impressed by how knowledgeable you are.” Afterward Speck said, “She gets it. She’s somebody as a scientist I could have a conversation with.”
Hillary Clinton always comes prepared. She must burn the midnight oil every night completing her homework.
One may wonder what drives Hillary? She along with her famous husband have become quite wealthy since raising to national prominence. Their book sales alone have made them millions.
She could easily retire to a life of travel, adventure, and luxury.
Hilliary will tell you that she is running for President to serve the American people. Yada, yada, yada. All of the candidates will tell you that.
I expect that Hillary is running to satisfy her own insatiable lust for power and prestige. She and Husband Bill have long had the thirst for power positions in America. To be fair these are likely the same reasons that all of the candidates, from both parties, are running. Sure, there may be some genuine interest in serving for the public good. Let’s hope so.
But when you examine the amount of persistence, determination, wheeling and dealing, and necessity to compromise in a number of ways that undermine your own principals, the motives for running for President are less than pure. In the present American political system money is such an important issue that candidates have to make deals of some sort with special interest groups to have any chance at all of being nominated.
At the end of the day the golden rule will always apply. Those who have the gold will rule. At least to some extent. And in ways that do not always serve the public interest.
None of the above would disqualify Hillary Clinton from making a good President. As previously stated she is experienced at the national leadership level, thoughtful and cautious, hard working, and does her homework.
I sometimes wonder why any sane person would want to have the job beginning in January 2009. President Bush has made a complete mess out of American foreign policy. American prestige around the world has never been lower. He hasn’t done a much better job at home.
To even begin to straighten out the mess the next President will have to be extraordinary smart and bring highly competent cabinet members and leaders at all federal levels into the government. In my opinion, even then we will have to be extra lucky to avoid some unpleasant consequences from the crops sown by President George W. Bush.
I’m not yet sure if we need a highly experienced, smart, cautious, more old style leader as I expect Hillary would be if elected, or a less experienced, bolder, inspirational fresh leader as I expect Barack Obama would be.
What I do know is that the next President’s term is critical to the continued well being of the United States. While we are strong enough to survive the misrule of one President I’m not sure that our nation would be nearly the same nation as it was at the beginning of the millennium if another Turkey of a President is elected.
May the best man or woman win. We need a strong, smart, inspiring leader as never before.
