I had just turned five years old and was in kindergarten when President Jimmy Carter left the White House in January in 1981. After losing reelection in a landslide to Ronald Reagan in November 1980. I remember President Carter being President for like a year or so and at least hearing about the 1980 presidential election when they were happening. Jimmy Carter I believe in a lot of ways is an very impressive and intelligent man.
And I believe the best Ex-President America has ever had, especially with what the Carter Center has done around the World on human rights. His intelligence and morality even came through while he was President with what he tried to do and was successful to a certain extent on energy policy and even foreign policy. While attempting to get America off of foreign oil and with his success’s with the Panama Canal Treaty, recognizing the People's Republic of China and the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty.
But in some ways he was also a weak leader and I don’t say that with a smile on my face. Like a lot of brilliant people, President Carter had and probably still does a great ability to analyze issues and the problems. But what he lacked was the ability to come up with answers to deal with the issues he and his Administration and the country faced. The economy and the Iranian Hostage Crisis being perfect examples of this.
When I look at President Obama’s presidency, I see similar characteristics to President Carter. Not be able a lot of times to make decisions quickly, even if the right answer seems obvious. Like Libya for example, or being able to take tough stands on issues. Because I believe he’s more interested in not offending people and thats what happens a lot of times when you make tough decisions. Even if its the right thing to do and thats why they are called tough decisions.
There’s rarely full agreement to do anything in America a country of 310M people. A lot of times there’s not even a consensus, so if Leaders want to get things done and make the right decisions. They have to risk offending people, including special interest groups that generally support you. Th reason why Barack Obama is not a 2nd Jimmy Carter, because even though it takes him a while a lot of times to get to the right decision. He eventually gets there.
Health care reform, Wall Street reform, the Bush tax cuts, the budget agreement and Libya are good examples of this. This past weekend when the President and his National Security Council were in the process of taking out Osama Bin Laden, the President displayed a new ability, the ability to make the right decision and to do it quickly. His NSC gave him the opportunity to take out the most important global serial murderer. And President Obama pulled the trigger and took him out and it made me proud that he’s my President and to be an American.
