Winning Presidential Candidate’s Pledges Nullified By Realities of Office

By Rick Grant rickgrant01@comcast.net www.rickatnight.com

After too many months of presidential candidates’ speeches and making pledges, we the people have had enough of this ballyhoo. Savvy voters know that the candidates and their advisors try to look into the mind of the zeitgeist to find the issues that really matter to John Q Public. The candidates’ endless election year campaigns are pushing agendas such as, the economy, ending the Iraq War, health insurance, a fair tax system, and corporate greed leading to outsourcing American jobs. No matter what a person’s political beliefs are, we all agree that Bush has made a mess of all these issues, raising the national debt to over $9 trillion, getting us hopelessly mired in the Iraq War, and causing a recession, or whatever the administration chooses to call it.

The thing is, the winning presidential candidate’s pledges are nullified once he or she is elected and faces the grim realities of working with Congress to get things done. Personally, I don’t believe that the elected candidate will walk into the Oval Office and start making changes. Firstly, the new president will become privy to the secret daily security briefing, which gives the nubie prez an overview of matters that he or she never dreamed of facing. Secondly, the new president will have to deal with the awesome responsibility of access to the nuclear missile launch codes, housed in a briefcase (called the "football") carried by an aide always nearby the president. The president is the end of the chain of command. Only he or she can give the order to launch.

Sure, the candidates spew volumes of rhetoric about the long list of things they will accomplish once in office, but older Americans, who have been through many administrations, know that the wheels of Washington politics grind slowly, as lobbyists, Representatives and Senators fight for their respective special interests. It’s a vicious predator infested jungle up there on the Hill and the probie prez could be quickly bogged down in quid pro quo infighting.

For Barack Obama supporters, he represents an outsider who can think outside the box and possibly bypass the machine to come up with some new ideas and ways to get things done. Yes, he is already part of the machine by being a senator. But he exudes inspiration and hope for the future. His appeal is his youth and inexperience. Thus, he is not ensconced in the complex matrix of Washington’s greed factory. He has a true vision for America. The possible downside of an Obama presidency: He could be totally ineffectual, hog-tied by an acrimonious Congress. If elected, the trick for Obama would be to win over the Hill with his inspirational rhetoric and new ideas. The dug-in old-guard might just get behind him. When the Kennedy clan wholeheartedly endorsed Obama in that rare gathering of the Kennedys, I was impressed. With powerful allies like Caroline, Ted, and Patrick Kennedy, Obama could kick ass on the Hill.

In contrast, Hillary Clinton and John McCain are deeply imbedded in Washington politics. That experience is their pitch to voters. Hillary and McCain know the system and how to get around it. Hillary has a specific plan for an affordable health care system for the masses. She understands that we can’t just pullout of Iraq and she has a viable plan for fighting terrorism. McCain knows the Joints Chiefs of Staff on a first name basis. His military experience would be an advantage in affecting a phased withdrawal from the Iraq War quagmire, without losing face. McCain’s appeal to moderates is his Achilles heel. Without the support of right wing conservatives, he could lose the election. Presently, he’s being savaged by a gaggle of conservative pundits. He must get their support.

Meanwhile, al Qaeda and the Taliban are marshaling their forces on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Bin Laden and his confederates are still planning new attacks. The Pakistan Army, which is the real ruling party of Pakistan, is in charge of their nuclear arsenal. Some high ranking officers are said to have shady alliances with terrorist organizations.

9/11 taught us that these crazed fanatics will not stop trying to kill Americans anywhere in the world. If they get their hands on nuclear weapons they will use them. The next president will have to deal with that frightening reality. He or she must make sure America has a strong military presence in the world and we must be ready to fight terrorism anywhere it flares up. If we let our guard down, the next attack might involve a mushroom cloud over Washington. Apocalypse pending!