I imagine Mary Anne that it in the realm of electability it really doesn't matter what you and I feel about any particular candidate. Somehow I think we don't fall into the "average voter" category.

I would love it if true and seasoned international diplomats ended up in the race for the White House. I have this feeling though that most figure out what a minefield it is and avoid it like the plague figuring they can do more good from a less public perspective.

I've often said that the post of president is more or less an inspirational one and our great successes there have come from not seasoned businessmen or local leaders but great orators that have the ability to motivate the population on important issues. Let's face it. The executive branch directly controls very little of our life. They can't enact legislation on their own. They have a very limited budget to play with. If we truly follow the constitution, they really shouldn't even be engaging in warfare without a formal declaration.

Maybe in that vein, seasoning is not such a good thing. Maybe someone like Obama is a good choice because he's not used to the power that years in government grants to people. He has great oratory skills and perhaps some of that naive and ethical passion that young politicians often have.

It's a two-headed sword. With experience comes disillusionment and corruption.

Art