Up Front Politicians

We all want our political leaders to be honest with us. We want them to tell us the truth, be forth right, and to own up to their mistakes. We don't want them to hide things from us, or pretend to be something that they are not. When George Bush was asked by a reporter a few years ago what mistake(s) he had made in recent years, he was branded as arrogant for not answering the question. In reality though I'm convinced that what was going through his mind at that point is how his answer would be used against him by political opponents and by the press. Better to not give them that sound bite.

Senator McCain has been learning that lesson himself. In an interview awhile back McCain mentioned that economics was not his strength. A moment of honesty by a politician, for sure; but that response to a question is now being used by Obama and Democrat pundits to paint McCain as unsuited to lead our nation. Better to not give them that sound bite.

What strikes me though is what exactly qualifies Obama as an expert on the economy? What has he done in his past, either through his education, his time as a lawyer, or as a community organizer, or as a councilman that makes him that much more qualified than John McCain? With McCain at least you can say that his foreign policy experience is so strong that, yeah, compared to that his economic experience is weak. But with Obama, his foreign policy experience is next to nothing, so sure, maybe his economic experience is his strength . . but that sure isn't saying too much. And this guy is close to becoming our President?