What on earth does one's family have anything to do with decisions regarding nuclear warfare, outside of stress that one cannot handle?
If you were running for President....
- Thread starter MobBoss
- Start date
What on earth does one's family have anything to do with decisions regarding nuclear warfare, outside of stress that one cannot handle?
Fugitive Sisyphus
Escape Artist
I assume you are referring to George W. with this comment. Considering he has since stopped drinking altogether, I don't think we have to worry about a nuclear war starting because our president mistook a big red button for the lever on a toilet seat after a night out with the boys.
Plenty of alcoholics relapse. It also shows a lack of judgment, a willingness to violate the law, and irresponsibility towards the safety of others. Why would we want that guy with his finger on the button?I assume you are referring to George W. with this comment. Considering he has since stopped drinking altogether, I don't think we have to worry about a nuclear war starting because our president mistook a big red button for the lever on a toilet seat after a night out with the boys.
Fugitive Sisyphus
Escape Artist
Of course I could use similar logic to eliminate every person from being a candidate for big-red-button-pusher. But perhaps, that was the point you were getting at. Different people have different criteria for leaders.
You're missing it; that's an after-the-fact realisation.
An adulterous and drug-snorting hypocrite can make a great preacher too. He can read his bible and tell people what they want to hear, enough to pour the money in and get lots of people speaking in tongues.
Of course, that's an 'after the fact' analysis. Before we vote someone into power, we analyse them according to reasonable criteria. We can be as tolerant as we want, but eventually we'll have to use some judgement to make a decision.
I personally consider a wedding vow to be very important. Unlike most other vows, the wedding vow promises to be permanent and is (I assume) made with honest intentions. Unlike many forced vows, I expect a person making a wedding vow to mean it when they say it. (Compare that to something like filling out an affidavit; you don't know if the person means to be honest, merely that the person does not intend to be caught on perjury(links are for our audience)).
If a person cannot keep a vow that they entered into willingly, publically and (putatively) meant it wholeheartedly, then why should we trust him in a position where the urge to abuse the power is so great? As well, you can hardly say that the relationship between the President and his country won't eventually go a little sour; we want to know how a person treats an oath under those circumstances.
Normally (like with that affidavit example) we can expect oversight and scrutiny to keep a man honest, I have no problem with people who're divorced. However, it seems that the Republican Congress has passed legislation to make such scrutiny much, much harder (the controversial Patriot Act, for example). Since you can't rely on scrutiny, you have to rely on the resume of vow-keeping. I guess you can also factor in youth too, because that's more than fair.
Expect all you want from such an organisation, I am not a representative of the 'tolerant left' - you'll find very little 'leftist' about my opinions. I am not a two dimensional windmill you can tilt at and blame for you woes. Neither is the world
In addition, I have strong respect for long-term thinking and attempting to understand long-term consequences. This might separate me out from many people on my opinions of divorce. While I'm an atheist, I believe that I can form an opinion of people based on their treatment of vows
Also, bear in mind that launching a nuclear strike is much more involved than simply pressing a single button . . .
Which goes a long way in explaining why Bush hasn't launched a strike yet.
The Dems should hope that he doesn't participate in intra-party smearing, then, no?
MobBoss
Off-Topic Overlord
Its a pure fact that people cannot perform at 100% or anywhere near 100% if they are worried about problems with their family. I deal with this on a daily basis when I prepare young soldiers to go to war. I counsel them on what to do on how to prepare their families so that a soldier can concentrate on his mission instead of worrying about his familiy 24/7. A soldier who is distracted because his family is having problems is far more likely to be a casualty because he isnt paying attention.
The job of being president is hard enough without having to deal with a terminally ill family member. Thats why its everyones concern, not just his.
Every President has a family that has potential to distract the man from the job. The underage pub crawling activities of Jenna and Not Jenna would be distractive to the average father, so I assume they distracted Bush to some extent.
Hygro
soundcloud.com/hygro/
When a loved one is in such serious peril such as impending death, that person who has that loved one will indeed be impeeded in his or her abilities to perform to the fullest.
Mobboss is making a legitimate point. The question is: is Edwards a person who can withstand such grief AND regardless of how much grief he can withstand, during the climax of his grief would he still make a better president than the other presidential candidates?
Mobboss is making a legitimate point. The question is: is Edwards a person who can withstand such grief AND regardless of how much grief he can withstand, during the climax of his grief would he still make a better president than the other presidential candidates?
Given how stressful the Presidency is anyway, I don't see how this will impede it any more.
Perfection
The Great Head.
Maybe the grief will make him a better president!
MobBoss
Off-Topic Overlord
Trust me...things could always, and I mean always...be worse.
ParkCungHee
Deity
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2006
- Messages
- 12,921
Or perhaps, that there simply shouldn't be big-red-button-pushers.
ParkCungHee
Deity
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2006
- Messages
- 12,921
Or inversely, given how edwards and their wife are holding up under such stress, it seems the stress of the presidency would be handleable.
Should Tony Snow resign? He has taken leave, but has not resigned yet. Certainly spending quality time with his family should be more important than leaving open the possibility that he will spend possibly his final days spinning for Bushco.
MobBoss
Off-Topic Overlord
He probably will resign, especially if his cancer gets bad enough. And yes, I think he would regard being with his family more important, as it should be.
