The Ability to Lead

In spite of my near addition to election coverage, this is the first time I’ve chimed up on the race. With all that has been written and rewritten in the last two years, I am not sure what I can really add that hasn’t been said by people who can say it far better than I can but here goes.

It has certainly been a race that has evoked passionate debate. However, I do believe there is a critical difference between the candidates that pretty much everyone can agree on. The difference certainly isn’t policy. People will likely never agree on what is the best policy. Nor should we. Healthy debate is good. The future has not happened yet, so there is really there is no way of being sure what works and doesn’t work.

It is perhaps execution that is more important that the policy anyway. Whether you agree with the policies of President Bush or not, it is much easier to agree that current administration’s execution has been truly awful. From the war to the economy, the lack of competence has been truly staggering. And don’t forget, George Bush by most accounts was a fine governor of Texas, one of the largest states in the nation, so clearly “executive experience” doesn’t count for much.

Speaking of experience, understand that any talk about experience in the campaign was never about determining if someone has the experience to be President. Experience was just another talking point in a tactic in the strategy to gain an advantage over the opponent to win the keys to the big White House.

The challenge is to determine if someone will do a great job of something they have never done before. This is especially a challenge in a presidential campaign as there are really no other jobs that compare. One has to look at other endeavors that people have taken on and look at the way they have taken them on to determine, if indeed a candidate has the ability to be a good over even great president.

Fortunately, for the last two years, we have been witnessing such an endeavor, this historic election campaign. A successful campaign both involves choosing exceptional people for the job at hand and leading these people in an effective manner. As luck would have it, these two abilities are perhaps the most important for a president as well. You might be able to get away with appointing your buddies to run a state, but clearly, this does not work well when running a large countrys.

While disagreeing on just about everything else, pundits on both sides have agreed that Senator Obama has run one of the best campaigns ever. A well managed, disciplined and excellently lead campaign. Many say even a brilliant campaign. He has raised more money than another other candidate in history from a record number of donors taking full advantage of the Internet. A campaign that started from nothing a mere two years ago and outflanked the Clinton’s, the most powerful political machine in the country. No small feat. For the first time in years, a Democrat has a better ground game, mobilizing hundreds of thousands of people. Looks like being a community organizer really paid off.

Now to Senator McCain. With an unpopular Republican president and a crumbling economy, it is not apparent that even a flawless campaign would have done the trick. What is apparent that his train wreck of a campaign will most likely not. Remember way back to the primaries, where he planned a $150 million effort complete with a $10,000 a day bus. Well, the fundraising came up way short and he was forced to ditch the bus, his campaign staff and fly coach to New Hampshire. This does not bode well for someone hoping to be President in economically challenging times. He was meet by an aid at the airport. Traveling around the state to countless town hall meetings, he rebuilt his campaign and the rest is history. Certainly an inspiring comeback story, but, since he seems to be more adept at working by him self rather than leading a huge team. This is fine for a maverick Senator but will not work at all well for a president.

In spite of a military background, where discipline is not just a nice to have, it can be a matter of life and death; the McCain campaign has been sloppy. They have had trouble sticking to message. Staff spent $150,000 on clothes for Gov. Palin, not even thinking how off the hockey mom Joe Six Pack message that was. Even worse, they let the candidate take the fall. Yikes. Campaign staff has been complaining about Gov. Palin to the media. Again, this is not useful and speaks to a lack of discipline and leadership in the campaign. Such leaks are bad for a campaign. Just think how bad they could be for the country in a time of crisis.

The drama of the McCain campaign often draws more media attention than the message. We have enough problems in this world. While McCain’s drama makes good television, we really don’t need a president that seems to need to manufacture such distractions.

It almost is a shame that Senator Obama is a great inspiring speaker. This is what people first notice. Some don’t look beyond, dismissing him as an “empty suit”. Once you get beyond the soaring rhetoric, you will discover a lot more than empty. He has the ability to be a great president. He is focused, disciplined and is a very effective leader who surrounds himself with bright and capable people.

Even if you believe he is a socialist (I don’t), I argue that it is better to have someone who can successfully execute such an agenda as president rather than someone who will continue to bungle along with the free market. So what if he “pals around” with the “wrong people”. If you do your homework, he also “pals around” with the “right people” as well. McCain has some shady characters in his past as well. Anyway, courting such a diversity of opinions is a sign of a great leader.

Sen. Obama has lead a masterful campaign that has overwhelmed the Clinton machine and McCain, who has been running for president for the last decade.

His execution has been close to flawless. He is determined and relentless.

This is a guy you want on your side. This is the guy we need to lead the country.

And the Prize for Truth in Advertising Goes To...

British Airways

I'm quiet literally stunned. There I was getting my daily fix of US election coverage. Before I could flip channels during a break in analysis of the analysts, there it was, British Airways hauntingly beautiful advert showing fish, dolphins, seals and assorted other sea creatures happily swimming around their brand spanking new Terminal Five. They were even nice enough to make the ad match the colour scheme of this site. Thanks BA, I think.

Given that Heathrow and especially the proposed third runway has been the target of passionate global warming protests, it is hard to even fathom the possibly that they would spend millions of dollars producing and airing a commercial that shows Terminal Five underwater and occupied by our finned friends, yet there it was.

As I’ve mentioned before, I found Terminal Five, terminally dull with its acres of white and grey. Must admit, it does look much better as an aquarium. Have to give them credit for planning for the future. The future they are trying so very hard to create with their schemes of ever-increasing air travel. They do have their work cut out for them. It will take a lot of Air Miles for ocean levels to top Heathrow. Fortunately, as I pointed out in my last post, even the Conservatives have come out against the third runway. There is plenty of time to stop them from flooding themselves.

So, for the guts to show the results of their business, their prize of course, is a gold statue Governor Palin in a Valentino jacket. By the looks of it, they have the same PR firm. One specializing in being way off message. Way, way, way, off the deep end.

Congratulations BA, you’ve earned it!

The Only Way to Swim



No Third Runway Action Group
http://www.notrag.org/

Green Conservatives and Air France Rail

The seeming contradictions are piling up as fast as the stock market is falling. The world is changing rapidly around us yet we seem to be standing still, afraid to really do much of anything except watch the world pass us by.

Here in Canada, after suffering through the Election to Nowhere, we are stuck with a Conservative Party with really nothing left to conserve of the neo-conservatism that has grown rather old. Like it or not, there is no status quo any more.

The free market seems to have blown itself apart quite effectively. Seems like we have reached peak greed even before we hit peak oil. Making Hot Wheels is way more profitable than making full size automobiles. Yet here we stand clinging our McMansions, cars and big screen TV’s.

Over the pond, people, businesses and political parties are realizing and taking advantage of the new realities.

Air France, realizing the poor economics of air travel, will be operating high-speed rail by 2010.

The Conservatives in the UK, the party of Margaret Thatcher, actually seem to be committed to conservation and fighting climate change. Their logo is a big tree. They are aggressively opposing the third runway at Heathrow for environmental reasons. Instead, they are proposing a massive high-speed rail network throughout the country. Their plans are not being received that well by some members of the business community. This, of course, is to be expected, as entrenched interests always seem to fight change in spite of the potential upsides for the economy and the environment.

In an uncertain world, doing nothing is far riskier than change.

St. Pancras, the Champagne Bar and the Terminator

It is just sooo civilized.
The newly restored St. Pancras Station is just magnificent. A great mixture of new and old. It brought high-speed rail to the heart of London making Paris just over two hours away. The highlight, is though, Europe’s longest champagne bar, lining the platform. Sipping blubbly and munching on a twenty pound plate of tiny but tasty snacks. Truly, traveling does not get any better than this.

Contrast St. Pancras to the fatally bland Terminal Five at Heathrow. I suspect that it caused a world-wide shortage of white paint. I would have hated to see what the old terminal was like. Just try lining the runway with any type of bar.

Train stations can be truly beautiful buildings at the heart of a city. Airports tend to be monstrosities sucking the soul out of cities and anyone unfortunate enough to be stuck in one for any amount of time at all.
So, St. Pancreas pretty much is the peak of civilization while the Terminator was trying to end it. Fortunately, Arnie as governator seems to be moving in the other direction. Not that I agree with him on everything, he has cut transit funding but, hell, I don’t agree with myself all the time. He was against the bullet train before he was for it. His priority a year ago seemed to be spending money on roads and not rail. I suspect high fuel prices changed all that.

He is now a supporter of the $10 billion high-speed rail initiative before California voters this November. He even broke his word not to sign any bills until the legislator approved a budget to approve the bill required to move the initiative forward. It is often great that politicians don’t follow through on everything they say.

The facebook group has over 30,000 members. I suspect it stands a good chance of passing due to high fuel prices and enthusiastic Obama supporters who are likely to support rail and transit. Still, it is a good idea to encourage your friends in the Golden State to vote for it. It would be great to experience 
This vote is critical as it will mark the start of the movement in the States away from cars and planes which are destroying the economy, the environment and cities while providing people with an increasing miserable transportation experience.



San Francisco’s high speed rail station, Transbay Transit Center will be the first grand rail station built in North America in a century. Hopefully they figure out a snappier name though.

I am convinced that the best way forward is to provide people with great transportation experiences that are also environmentally friendly. Who knows, maybe the platform in Frisco will be lined with a champagne bar or even better, a brewpub serving a great porter.
Cheers!!