Intellectual Excellence vs. Experience

If experience was an indispensable ingredient of human achievement, then we would never have witnessed the likes of Tiger Woods, Wolfgang Mozart, David Gates, American Idol star David Archuleta, Marie Curie and on and on and on. It simply is not. Experience is a neutral by-product of living through life’s mistakes and challenges--it can enlighten as well as burden--and for the less capable, it enhances their intellectual capacity as much as a full head of grey hair or a degenerating spine. For those endowed with superior intellectual excellence, foresight and the wisdom to surround themselves with men and woman of experience, it is less important.

Senator Hillary Clinton touts her experience as a tipping point. But what about the experience of the American electorate? For over 50 years it has voted into the Presidency several allegedly experienced men and their advisers. These grey beards have come no closer to solving the Israeli and Palestinian conflict, among other problems, than Hawaii has come to moving closer to the mainland. What does this teach us? While experience certainly has its virtues, experience without vision is as essential an attribute to a politician as is the experience of a blind bus driver begging to drive our children to school because of having experienced and learned from many a crash.

Senator Barak Obama has vision and has proven himself to be a man of superior foresight, brilliance and ingenuity. He also has the wisdom to absorb the experience of others by surrounding himself with men and woman of like mind and ability. On the other hand, Senator Clinton’s plea of experience is like that of the blind bus driver, heavy on experience but woefully short on vision. Moreover, Senator Clinton’s experience carries with it the burden of having become too much a part of the establishment. Because of this she will be unable to unshackle herself from the status quo and implement the new approaches that are needed at this dire time.

Senator Obama is the right choice. And to all fence sitters, be aware that white males, including this one, will vote for Obama. We will because we recognize his brilliance and could care less about his color or race. He is simply the best person to be president at this time in history. In short, his inspiring message of studied hope will carry us farther than the stale insipid message of clinging to experience.

Loren M. Lambert
March 10, 2007 ©