Byron York’s got an outstanding piece in the Washington Examiner on how the Gulf of Mexico oil crisis is highlighting President Barack Obama’s lack of executive experience.
In mid-February 2008, fresh from winning a bunch of Super Tuesday primaries, Barack Obama granted an interview to “60 Minutes” correspondent Steve Croft. “When you sit down and you look at [your] resume,” Croft said to Obama, “there’s no executive experience, and in fact, correct if I’m wrong, the only thing that you’ve actually run was the Harvard Law Review.”
“Well, I’ve run my Senate office, and I’ve run this campaign,” Obama said.
Seven months later, after receiving the Democratic presidential nomination, Obama talked with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. At the time, the news was dominated by Hurricane Gustav, which was headed toward New Orleans and threatening to become a Katrina-like disaster. “Some of your Republican critics have said you don’t have the experience to handle a situation like this,” Cooper said to Obama. “They in fact have said that Governor Palin has more executive experience. …”
“Governor Palin’s town of Wasilla has, I think, 50 employees,” Obama answered. “We have got 2,500 in this campaign. I think their budget is maybe $12 million a year. You know, we have a budget of about three times that just for the month. So, I think that our ability to manage large systems and to execute, I think, has been made clear over the last couple of years.”
It still makes me cringe today, reading that quote. If you’re running for president, and someone asks you about your executive experience, you need to be able to point to more than a political campaign. Being president of the United States is a difficult job–probably the hardest job in the world. There really isn’t a perfect job that can prefer you for the challenges of the Office of the President. I do think, however, that executive experience is critical. Private sector experience as a senior executive, military experience as a mid-level to senior commander, or running a large non-profit organization would provide solid executive experience for an aspiring presidential candidate. Obama never had any of those experiences. He’s never created job, had to make payroll, or worry about budgets. Most importantly, prior to becoming president, he never had to make a difficult decision.
The presidency is, as I see it, a decision-making job. You need to be comfortable making difficult, and, sometimes unpopular, decisions–sometimes with limited or conflicting information. Elections have consequences and it is my sincere hope that we elect a seasoned executive in 2012.
Tom, I couldn’t agree more… it is scary that his executive experience is so lacking… and, oh how it shows! I wrote the following on the 10th. Perhaps he’ll enlighten us tonight… unfortunately, I’m quite certain he won’t.
By Lee Brown of PublicExaminer.com, June 10, 2010
Gulf Coast is “Unsustainable” Under Obama’s Lack of Leadership
America’s gulf coast is in turmoil and our Nation doesn’t have a leader. Obama’s public relations visits, to the gulf, have accumulated to less time than the Kumbaya “Hey Jude” with the slobbering Paul McCartney and other entertainment industry sycophants. He’s spent more time golfing, since the leak began, than he has walking the beaches of the Gulf. He pats himself on the back for all of his discussions with the “greatest minds”, but apparently hasn’t heard about “basic management fundamentals”. My time in management has taught me that when you are faced with a crisis, you pull out your entire arsenal to stop the bleeding, repair the wound and sustain life… you worry about “Kicking A**” when the immediate threat has been neutralized. Now is the time for leadership and action… not the excuses, finger pointing, name calling and other adolescent behavior that his administration has become known for.
50 days into this catastrophe, questions were presented to Press Secretary Robert Gibbs regarding whether a call had been placed to Tony Hayward of BP. After fumbling, stuttering and spluttering around, Mr. Gibbs says it would be “pointless”, as BP’s CEO “can’t do anything without approval from the board…” Well, that would beg the question… “…have you called the Board?”… more fumbling, stuttering, etc. “No.” A resounding “No”, yet this Administration has spent an inordinate amount of time bashing the oil company. How can we be the least bit confident, that we have the full resources of British Petroleum, if we haven’t even talked to them? After a couple of days, of public outrage, at this revelation, Thad Allen, National Incident Manager, has reported that he now has a team in contact with BP.
Reports now abound that a little know codicil known as the “Jones Act”, passed in 1920, is a major roadblock in our path to crisis resolution. Not only is the Jones Act a cause for our lack of Maritime technology to tackle the clean up, but it also prohibits the efforts by not allowing foreign countries, who DO have the critical equipment, to help us. President Bush, who took a shellacking, on his response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster, ordered a temporary waiver to this hampering Act, allowing for foreign bodies to bring their technology in to help us. The Obama Administration, as explained by Thad Allen, is willing to offer a “case by case waiver…” but, they “… haven’t been asked”. Leadership! Where is it?
President Obama has spent more time, in front of cameras, slandering Tony Hayward and British Petroleum, than he has spent meeting with LA Governor, Bobby Jindal, and other key leaders in the region. In a recent interview Obama said “… Tony Hayward wouldn’t be working for me…”, and also criticized the company for the $50 Million that it budgeted for advertising. All the while, the Obama Administration stalls on urgent requests, from Governor Jindal, for sand booms to protect Louisiana’s marshlands. Perhaps Obama should return the $77K that BP donated to his campaign (most to a single candidate in 20 years), or write a personal check towards the clean up effort.
Obama has been quick to condemn British Petroleum for its lack of urgency, inaccurate assessments, advertising expenditures, and the accident in general. He continues to spend his interview and press statements to threaten BP about what they better, or better not, do financially… who they should pay, and how much… they better not give dividends… etc. I don’t blame the Obama Administration for this accident, the deaths that occurred, or the immediate damage to our Gulf waters… but, I do blame them for their lack of action, lack of urgency and lack of leadership. President Obama’s favorite word, since his Administration took power, is “unsustainable”. President Obama, it is time you put on the big boy pants and be a leader, because this country has quickly learned that an Obama America is “unsustainable”.