McCain vs Obama

It is unwise for a country to deify their leaders.

The Japanese did it with their Emperor, the Germans made Hitler and then later Helmut Kohl into virtual deities. For a while the British did it to Churchill, and later to some degree to Margaret Thatcher and recently to Tony Blair. The Americans have done it to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy.

All of these people were just superior human beings with all the faults and foibles that us humans tend to have. A little bit of greed, a certain lust for power, arrogance, self centeredness, and for many powerful leaders a strong sexual appetite.

Many of the finest leaders have tempered these baser human traits with a strong element of genuinely caring about what happens to the people who are less well off.

Honesty and integrity coupled with intelligence have helped people like Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King achieve worthwhile societal goals which would not have been possible without their great dignity. All of these people were good listeners. The best were good at gathering as many facts as possible (even opposing view points) and honestly taking them all under consideration before making a final decision. And then after having made a decision, having the strength of character to not vacillate and second guess it.

They surrounded themselves with extremely talented people who might even have been significantly smarter than they were. And they were lifted upwards by the support of all the smart, strong people around them.

One other trait the very best leaders in history have had is they are cool under pressure. Rather than freaking out when faced with grave difficulties, they continue to calmly analyze the situation and make the best decisions possible. I don’t really know if Putin in Russia is a good leader, but his self control and coolness under pressure (some would say ice water in his veins) is in part responsible for his power and success.

Good leaders are not dictators. They do not issue orders. They don’t have to. People follow them because of their actions (not their words). Leadership and setting the example. And to maintain this relationship between great leaders and the masses requires constant integrity and extraordinary honesty on the part of the leader.

But to those who knew them well, all of these people were still very human. Some more so than others. John F. Kennedy had close friends in the mafia while he was president, and he got their help so that he could screw around on Jackie with Marilyn Monroe. JFK apparently had a serious prescription drug problem. Franklin D. Roosevelt kept a lover on the side.

If you look deep enough into any of these people’s lives you will find that they were not saints, they did not have magical powers, and they were not wizards like Gandalf.

It is far too common to see good leaders rot from within due to believing the adoration of their supporters. This is like believing your dog when he sits in front of you and looks you in the eye with total adoration.

So in looking at Senators McCain and Obama which candidate is better at remaining cool under pressure and analytically making the best decision possible? Which candidate has the most positive personality traits of a leader?

If the American voters think about this rationally before casting their vote the country will get the kind of leader that it deserves.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-