When Obama was elected his supporters dismissed the importance of experience which their candidate had little of.

I am talking about the experience of leadership and running a large organization. Obama had never done this.  We were to be satisfied with good intentions and vague feel good slogans such as ‘hope and change’. But intentions and wishes are a dime a dozen; turning them into meaningful results is something else altogether.

If Obama knew about the Benghazi coverup, the IRS abuses, and the intrusion into journalists’ affairs then he is a partisan hack, another ideologue who believes that the ends justify the means. If he was not involved directly in these deeds then he is incompetent and irresponsible to have such abuses under his command. Either he failed to provide moral absolutes, a moral center, and that is a prime function of a leader, or he delegated so poorly that he failed to be informed of problems until they were too far advanced. The problem as they view it was not the lapses but the fact they were uncovered.  The investigation will hopefully find out whether he is just another corrupt politician doing whatever is necessary to hold onto power or if he is a poor and inexperienced leader in way over his head.

He finds no problem that cannot be solved by more government, so he creates larger and larger government. Then he is excused because the government is too large to expect him to be able to control it.  Perhaps government is too big (it is) or perhaps he is just too small for the job.  But imagine any CEO, or any leader of a substantial organization, using such lame excuses for the moral lapses in his company.

Inexperienced leaders love to talk about holding subordinates accountable, but this is often code for not holding oneself accountable for anything. Accountability sounds simple in the textbooks, but often translates poorly into practice, especially when there is no accountability at the top of the organization.  Holding someone accountable in an organization with no moral center is often a smokescreen for finding a scapegoat.

Experience is important. So is a leader with a moral center that guides him and his organization.  Perhaps we will remember that in the next election.

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