President Obama (Photo by Pete Souza/The White House)
While out west a few weeks ago, I met a new, fast and fantastic friend. Yep, he’s a Democrat. And, yep, he knows the Obama crowd through at least seven degrees of separation. (Think true-blood Chicago politico.) So, after a rough initial conversation with Friend X about our combating parties and other interesting subjects,
I just had to ask: “So what do you think of the president. What’s the rap? I hear he has an ego. I also hear he is a phenomenal thinker and loves his family.”
Friend X shoots back: “The president thinks he is smarter than everyone else. Actually, he doesn’t just think it, he knows it. It doesn’t always play well…” (Note: I had heard this before.)
The discussion went on, but out of respect for my new Friend X, I am tempering my commentary.
Just two days ago, I sat down with Friend Y, who I have known for five years now. She is whip-smart and fabulous. She is not “political” (honestly, she has never campaigned and never will) – yet is so good that she has worked for the past two presidents (Bush and now Obama) on their respective National Security teams. Suffice it to say that she advises presidents on the ‘hot spots’ (literally and figuratively) of the world. We take a 20-minute coffee break from our day job, because who has time for lunch these days? Given that Friend Y advises Biden and the president on a weekly basis,
I ask: “So does the president really think that he is smarter than his entire staff? I mean, at some degree, every ‘Elected’ has an ego. But, I understand that his smarter-than-thou attitude is above and beyond the pale. True?” (Note: I am hoping to get some really great gossip here. Friend Y is not a ‘Democrat’ – she is just really ‘good’ and that’s why she’s at the White House times two without having ever campaigned.)
Friend Y: “Sarah, this president is smarter than everyone else. I don’t pretend to speak for domestic politics, but on the national security side, his ability to read, digest and make decisions is outer worldly.”
The moral of the story
I thought I’d pass this information on, because for some of you, this anecdotal evidence of the president’s smartness might bring peace-of-mind during a time that is not particularly the most peaceful of times.
For example, things are awash with respect to our bilateral relationship with countries like Russia, Iran, Syria and Pakistan (to name a few). Some would say Iraq is still running amuck, yet we are about to draw down militarily. Afghanistan, among other states in its neighborhood, is both fragile and corrupt. Places like Haiti, China and Pakistan are barely enduring their most recent earthquake, mud slide, and flood. I could go on continent-by-continent and country-by-country with examples of chaos and disruption, but I will spare you because we have enough going on right here at home.
Here at home, we’ve been hit with the Oil Spill of the Century. We have a Congress that does not want to get along. And, we are trudging through a most insufferable recession to the tune of a 9.5 percent unemployment rate (view the data here at the Bureau of Labor and Statistics) and a consumer confidence index that has fallen to a rate well below the days immediately following 9-11 (view the data here at Rasmussen).
So, the president is smart – that is good news. But in light of everything, is being smart good enough? For me, not really. Smart is good, but for me, the real question remains, is the president wise enough to make the tough leadership decisions that America needs right now?
For me, this is the sticking point. Wise would have been to focus on the dire unemployment situation before tacking health care. That’s just me. The electorate will speak for themselves on Nov. 2, 2012.
Sarah Lenti is the blogger behind NMPolitics.net’s The Savvy. E-mail her at sarah@nmpolitics.net.