Obama says voters aren't looking for a bureaucrat

[William769]

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama freely admits he doesn't have the experience to run a bureaucracy.

But he's banking on the fact voters aren't looking for a "chief operating officer" in this election.

"I have a pretty good sense of my strengths and my weaknesses," he said Monday during a meeting with the Reno Gazette-Journal editorial board.

"I am very good at teasing out from people who are smarter than me what the issues are and how we resolve them," he said. "I don't think there is anybody in this race who can inspire the American people better than I can. And I don't think there is anybody in this race who can bridge differences ... better than I can.


http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080115/NEWS19/801150354/1232

[redqueen]

1. Oooh...

That doesn't sound good.

[maddiejoan]

2. FWIW

I'm more inspired by Hillary --I don't see how Obama is in a position to tell me with whom I should be inspired.

[LostinVA]

3. You HAVE to have a "bureaucrat" -- idealists don't do well as leaders

Leaders NEED "idealists" around them, but I actually think bureaucrats tend to make better elected officials. That's why Edwards is my second choice: he's been a damned good lawyer, and that isn't easy, and a good attorney generally knows how to run things.

[Renew Deal]

8. How's Bush Jr. working out for your bureaucracy?

He's the "MBA president." He had all the state governing experience. The presidency is a leadership position, not a management position.

[sunonmars]

4. Ooh he so should not have said that

Thats sooooooo gonna come bite him on the ass.

If you dont have the experience, you sure as shit don't go round telling everyone, that my dear is how you get sacked.

[babylonsister]

5. He's right; look where the current bureaucracy has gotten us.

This admin has committee after committee, has reconfigured DOT into DHS with tentacles everywhere but nothing getting accomplished. That 9/11 commission? That was a great success. And FEMA has been oh so successful, too. :eyes:

Give me someone with ideas and good people around them, give me someone who can get something done without jamming everything up in committee and studies, etc.

I want to see someone who will take action and not someone who will pass the buck to a committee every time a difficult decision has to be made.

[vee]

7. Pencil pushers, with no inspiring ideas to push. No leadership.

[Renew Deal]

6. He's right. The MBA presidency was a failure.

The president is supposed to be a visionary, not a manager.

[redqueen]

9. But isn't the stuff he's saying up there

the same stuff Bush said? Remember during debates when he didn't know about foreign policy info he came back with something like 'But I'll have experts to ask.'

:shrug:

[Cameron27]

10. He seems to framing his message

the same way the current "uniter" did.

[redqueen]

11. Don't get me wrong... I'm not comparing him to bush...

I'm only seeing similarities in that particular line... the "I'll ask experts" thing.

I would never compare any of our candidates to Bush. Our candidates aren't embarrassing laughingstocks... neither are they drooling moronic puppets who can barely string a sentence together.

[Renew Deal]

14. I don't think it's the same.

He says that he has the judgement and the vision. Bush had neither.

[burythehatchet]

12. Perfect. That's what I want to hear from Obama

[Sulawesi]

13. Hillary will have a 12 point response to that...

[cloudythescribbler]

15. Some of the comments here confuse me. Where has HRC demonstrated "bureaucratic" skills?

I must have missed that. (And I would say the same for Edwards).

Kucinich on the other hand has been the mayor of a major American City!

Obama in 08 -- the best CANDIDATE and (of those with a chance) the best PRESIDENT!