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Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Presidentially Qualified

Today is the New Hampshire primary. The news is full of opinions, blogs, statistics and predictions about who will win what. America is, of course, watching. Why? I think most of us watch these kinds of things --- even when we can't vote in them ourselves --- because they are a vetting process that helps us figure out who we will get behind when the time actually comes.

The candidates are all working very hard to get a message out in front of America. Their message? Well, it seems to be pretty much a two-fold message from what I can discern. First, it's a message that says, "I'm qualified, experienced and can bring what America wants and needs." The second message, though a little less direct, appears to be simply that, "My opponent(s) are less capable, trustworthy or experienced than I am."

Ironically, both messages could be true --- for each of the candidates. As I look at the candidates, I don't see any blatant buffoons. Regardless of political party or current position in society, we seem to have a crop of presidential hopefuls that each offers impressive credentials and qualifications. What disturbs me about the dilemma we have is this though. It could be that both messages are true for each candidate. But we may never know for sure.

You see, I suspect that the defining criteria about who is most qualified to be our president is the stuff that's not talked about. Who has wisdom, for example? And where does their wisdom come from? Who walks with God and listens intently to what He says to them? If I were a reporter covering the campaigns, I'd ask the candidates to tell me about their prayer life. How often do you pray, Mr. Candidate? What do you pray about? Tell me about some of the prayers that have been answered in your life?

There are important character considerations here besides what the American people think. I don't care who is most "electable." I would care more though, about knowing how well a candidate walks his (or her) talk. "Mr. Candidate, how well would you say you live your own faith and values? What would your enemies say about you in that regard?" Are your values firmly established and consistently practiced? How well does your behavior line up with what you say you believe?

And then there are mistakes. I'd like to know what some of the biggest mistakes have been for each of the candidates. What regrets to do they have in life? What are they the most sorry about in terms of their own choices and behaviors? What are they most embarrassed about? More importantly, what lessons have they learned from those life experiences?

Of course there is the issue of family life. How is your marriage? Do you have a healthy sexual relationship with your spouse? Tell me about the spiritual intimacy you share with your spouse. Are the two of you united under God? How grateful are you for your spouse? Where do you see God working in your marriage? How do you think your marriage might be tested by the presidency you're seeking? What foundations have you laid in that marriage to ensure that it withstands those challenges?

I'm not sure that someone's voting record on the abortion or war issue several years ago is as relevant to me as a voter --- as is the criteria they generally use for making such important decisions. Mr. Candidate, tell me about your decision process. How do you usually make important decisions? Are you usually satisfied with the outcome of those things you've decided that way? What kind of decisions do you expect may be the most challenging for you as our country's next president?

I've learned from personal experience that the ability to own one's brokenness is a critical aspect of good leadership. So, Mr. Candidate, tell me about your struggles. What do you struggle with today in life? What are some of the personal battles that you're engaged in right now? Are you a man (or woman) under authority? Who do you submit yourself to? Who do you confess your sins to (besides God)? How will the presidency impact the personal struggles you face in life? How will you be intentional at mitigating that impact?

Then I would like to know why this presidency is so important to each of our candidates. Why are they running? What do they hope to accomplish? Do they seriously expect to win? If not, does their candidacy still serve some purpose? If it does, shouldn't the American people be aware of that? Why does this (presidential race) matter so much to you, Mr. Candidate? What is the main point of your potential presidency? How will you differentiate yourself from every other president America has ever had?

So you see, there are many questions I can ask our political candidates. Unfortunately, I have those questions but struggle for the answers. I keep looking for the answers in the political rhetoric and all the messages that are being put out. If we could find these answers, then just maybe we might find a clue about who can provide the leadership that our country most needs.

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