by Anne Hartman

Created on: March 01, 2007   Last Updated: March 19, 2008

I remember some years ago talking-no, complaining-with a friend about our supervisor at work. My friend said, "I've always believed my boss should be at least as intelligent as I am!" She wasn't boasting about her IQ, if you know what I mean. Following the 2000 Presidential "Selection" I found myself repeating a revised version of that sentence quite frequently! So I sincerely hope our next president has at least some intelligence and I don't mean the kind he gets from the C.I.A.

Seriously, I can't imagine why anyone would want that job considering the mess this nation and the entire world is in now, but there appears to be a record number of potential candidates for 2008. Some people say the campaign is starting too early; in a way I must agree, but perhaps it's a good thing and the voters will really get to know the candidates better and therefore make a better informed decision when they enter the voting booth.
There are so many polls being taken every day and some of the questions they ask are downright silly, given the seriousness of our situation. Personally, I don't care if the best person is a man or a woman, and African American, Hispanic American, or a Polka-Dotted American. His or her religion or lack thereof doesn't concern me. It doesn't matter to me if our future President has never been married or has been divorced a dozen times! And, I will definitely NOT be voting based on what I think of the potential "First Spouse", although for the record I will have no problem if at some time in the near future a former First Lady becomes the President and a former President becomes "First Gentleman".
I'm officially in the undecided column right now but there are some qualities our next President must have to earn my vote. I already mentioned intelligence but even more important and not necessarily automatic no matter how "booksmart" someone is, he or she MUST have common sense! Experience is important but that doesn't necessarily mean political experience. I wish there was a way to take money out of the equation completely because there have been many good people who have had to give up because they couldn't even hope to raise hundreds of millions of dollars, and I think that's sad. Compassion is perhaps the most important quality; people loved to make fun of Bill Clinton, but he really had a way of making one believe he felt their pain! We need someone who is willing to compromise when necessary, to at least try VERY HARD at diplomacy rather than military action. Right after 9/11 we had the whole world with us. Does anyone else remember seeing the crowds of people in IRAN holding a candle-light vigil in honor of the victims?
The United States of America is the greatest country in the world and I truly believe we can regain our status with the rest of the world in time. But even though we're the best we've still got alot of work to do! Who will be our next President? I wouldn't even guess at this time but I hope he or she will be smart and decisive but willing to listen to the advice of others, someone who, while recognizing the importance of foreign policy will put the needs of our own people FIRST. Someone who, along with Congress, will work very hard on providing healthcare for every American, making sure our citizens have a secure retirement, giving our children the best education available in the world, and doing everything possible to protect and repair our environment for future generations.

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