Ask more from our next leader

Jim Barns Charlottesville
Published: August 9, 2008

My all-time standout teacher taught U.S. history. He was thoughtful to his students, wonderfully innovative and enthusiastic. It was his first year of teaching. He was blessed. I am a great supporter of teachers whatever their capability, but the simple fact is that someone could have a lifetime in the classroom and not match that man on his first day.

John McCain has made the inevitable political point that Barack Obama has no military experience. Of course, experience in life’s pursuits is of great value. But, not always. In this area, I value judgment, intelligence and a broad perspective far more. 

In the 1960s, an elite group of military and academy experts with great experience known as “the best and the brightest” were the architects of a terribly misguided plan in southeast Asia. If you want to know who truly knew the score read/watch “Dear America:  Letters Home from Vietnam,” testimony of the real best and brightest, the guys on the ground in Vietnam.

John McCain seems a good Joe. I’d probably like him as a neighbor. However, as our president? Please consider: He does not seem bright enough for this complicated world; just under the surface is an explosive temper revealed in some alarming examples, and, while his military experience certainly deserves our appreciation, I believe that his experience as a prisoner of war has skewed his judgment. It is no asset. He hates the Vietnamese (such a contrast to the remarkable forgiveness and acceptance the Vietnamese have shown toward our vets who have gone back), and it seems that he has a “we lost the last one, but we’ll win this one” mindset regarding Iraq.

In Obama I see a man with grace under pressure and great intelligence who would know the questions, not just the answers. His strong sense of the world reflects his life experience. Candidates of high intelligence have not fared well in my time — Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis, Al Gore, John Kerry. People want to be comfortable. Simple answers to complicated problems. This has to stop. That response has put this country into deep trouble. It is time for us to transcend our patriotic, social and, perhaps, racial viewpoints and ask for more from our leader.