The Measure of the Man

As I watched the debates between Barack Obama and John McCain, it occurred to me that Obama might not be just a good president. He might be a great president. There is something about him that makes me consider the possibility that he could be part of the answer that the world is looking for. I have looked for these qualities of greatness in many world leaders but none have matched my hopes and expectations. Perhaps I will find them in Barack Obama. I cannot predict the future, but I am filled with hope for our nation under Barack Obama.

Christopher Buckley, son of the late William F. Buckley, founder of the conservative National Review Magazine, has left the magazine and announced his support for Barack Obama. In his announcement, Buckley said some important things. He described Obama as “a first-class temperament and a first-class intellect.”

John McCain does not show evidence of such greatness. Buckley has written that: “This campaign has changed John McCain. It has made him inauthentic. A once first-class temperament has become irascible and snarly; his positions change, and lack coherence; he makes unrealistic promises, such as balancing the federal budget ‘by the end of my first term.’ Who, really, believes that?” Buckley adds that McCain’s “ninth-inning attack ads are mean-spirited and pointless. And finally, not to belabor it, there was the Palin nomination. What on earth can he have been thinking?”

David Brooks, conservative columnist for The New York Times, wrote in a recent column: “We’ve been watching Barack Obama for two years now, and in all that time there hasn’t been a moment in which he has publicly lost his self-control. This has been a period of tumult, combat, exhaustion and crisis. And yet there hasn’t been a moment when he has displayed rage, resentment, fear, anxiety, bitterness, tears, ecstasy, self-pity or impulsiveness.” Brooks went on to say: “It is easy to sketch out a scenario in which he could be a great president.”

Obama has shown a steady, presidential mien, while McCain has shown a pettiness and inconsistency. McCain has also shown poor judgment. Look at his choice of Sarah Palin as vice presidential candidate. If anything happened to Obama, I would feel safe having Joe Biden take over the reins of government. But what if John McCain died? Would you really feel secure having Sarah Palin take over the most important position in the world? Can you imagine her sitting down with world leaders and negotiating peace, trade, and the world economy?

I wonder whether the presidential race is close because Senator Obama is half African American and half Caucasian. I recently received an e-mail that asked the following questions: What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review? What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class? What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said 'I do' to? What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to standards? What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5 Savings & Loan corruption? What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker? If these things were true, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are? Consider the educational accomplishments of the candidates:

Barack Obama: Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations; Harvard Law School- Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude, President of the Harvard Law Review. Biden: University of Delaware - B.A. in History and also a B.A. in Political Science; Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.).

McCain: United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 out of 899. Palin: Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester; North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study; University of Idaho - 2 semesters – journalism; Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester; University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism.

I do not know what it takes to be a great world leader. But I know that the world is looking for greatness, and there is something special about Barack Obama. He is a person of remarkable intellect, with unusual qualities of judiciousness, vision, compassion, and decency. He could be the answer to a lot of hopes and dreams.