More Obama-mania

Because of the password-protected NY Times, I have a summary of this great article by Frank Rich through Rawstory:

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/
Frank_Rich_Stop_Obama_before_hes_0210.html

Rich, obviously reading my blog, makes the argument that Obama's lack of experience in Washington is a plus. The money line of the summary by Raw Story is: "New York Times columnist Frank Rich has dismissed criticism of freshman US Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) for not having enough "experience" by noting that before the invasion, the 2008 presidential candidate "had the judgment about Iraq that his rivals lacked."

Isn't judgment what we want in a president? Nixon had years of experience: congressman, senator, vice-president. John Kerry should have won against George Bush based on Kerry's years of political experience and the time he spent in Vietnam. At the end of the day Americans thought it was better to have someone who used his father's influence to get out of war over a man who volunteered to fight, despite being wealthy and very likely able to get out of serving. (Although what does that say about America's need for good judgement??)

Yes, a lot of the hype over Obama is due to his charisma and public speaking abilities. However, when you combine that personality with good judgment, a commitment to a core set of ideals, a willingness to compromise, a history of hard work and an impressive resume, you have the makings of a great leader.