The humility factor...

2008-01-31T15:41:00.000-08:00

Last night I watched, for no particular reason, the confirmation hearing of a certain Ms. Ameri, to Assistant Secreatary of State for Public Diplomacy (I think I got that right). Anyway, Ms. Ameri was making the point that Americans were "very humble people", and because of this, are falling short making the case around the world, for the American brand of democracy. Those words stuck in my head...Americans are very humble...

Flashback to a couple of days before the New Hamphire primary. All polls indicated that Barack Obama, coming off a stunning victory in Iowa, would sweep New Hamphire and cakewalk his way to the nomination. The preceding NH debate would simply be a formality. Until, something happened. A role reversal of sorts. Until then, Barack Obama had run - since 2004, really - a very "humble" campaign (remember:"In no country on earth would my story even be possible." he suggested at his DNC keynote address in 2004) But, then, there was the NH debate and that chilling quote: "you are likable enough, Hillary." Supporters cringed.

The following day, a teary-eyed Hillary pleaded to a group of women, not wanting to see "the country slide back." This vulnerable moment, tinged with humility, turned her campaign around and won her NH.

What lessons can a candidate take from this? Tempered confidence (and not arrogance) goes a long way. Humility and a sense of vulnerability can take you even further. The tragic thing is that this lesson is often quickly forgotten, to a candidate's peril. Hillary, Lady of Steel, is back. That can only mean one thing...

The meaning of Barack...

2007-12-26T14:41:00.000-08:00

Much of the discussion about Barack Obama's experience to be Commander-in-Chief fails to recognize the global transformational aspect of his prospective ascension to the Presidency of the United States. As I travel around the world talking to officials at various levels, I am time and time again asked about Obama's "real" prospects of winning. Not lost on me is the fascination foreigners have about our brand of democracy. An Obama election, one told me, would be the strongest argument for Democracy the US could muster. It would be more persuasive than the gun and more powerful than diplomacy. It would create a yearning for similar processes around the world. Nicholas Sarkozy, the recently elected President of France, suggested in a 60 mn interview that what he wants to achieve in France is the kind of upward mobility the US has embedded in its values and institutions. To paraphrase him, the ability of a country to create opportunities for the likes of Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice.

Domestically, it is quite clear that an Obama election would not only inspire a new generation to get involved, but it might very well weaken the hold destitution has on inner city kids. To know, from Obama's experiences, that one can "clean up" and have a second chance at "being somebody" and making a difference in the world is a powerful pull away from the streets and into the mainstream of delayed gratification and achievement.

Although this may sound like preaching the coming of a new "Messiah" - it is actually rooted in an attempt at deeply understanding the meaning of Barack Obama and his eventual ascension to the Presidency.

Worth Mentioning...

The humility factor...

The meaning of Barack...