Edwards: A Good Speaker But We Need More Than That
The Seacoast Media Group, our regional newspaper publisher, brings in individual candidates from time to time and has them talk about a single issue. I saw the one with Edwards and the topic was Iraq.
He opened with a prepared statement in which he immediately stated the difference between himself and U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton on the "future mission" of U.S. troops in Iraq. My impression was that expressing a difference with Senator Clinton was his primary goal. What that difference was seemed secondary. In any event, his position did not seem significantly different.
I’m afraid I was not overwhelmed by Edwards. John Edwards is clearly skilled and articulate in delivering a message. He appears to be very comfortable in front of an audience that asks a variety of questions. However, this does not automatically equate with a persuasive and compelling performance.
I have witnessed and heard many excellent public speakers. I worked in the United States Senate and in Washington from 1958 to 1991. A voter in New Hampshire has the opportunity to be "struck by lightning" by a candidate's brain, soul or heart. Any of these can come from his/ her words, delivery or persona. I had no such experience in seeing and hearing John Edwards.
If a candidate does not light one's heart with their words, their life's experience may do the trick. With John Edwards, this did not happen with me. John Edwards has very, very limited experience as an administrator and executive. His single term in the United States Senate and many years as an attorney did not require him to make the decisions and choices demanded of a chief executive.
Since the presidential election of 1960, I have been seriously involved in national, state and local elections. In 2007, the world which we share with humankind is in such a colossal mess that our next president must possess skills and experience greater than just oratory. The United States is held in low esteem and contempt throughout the world. In searching for a candidate for our president, I seek someone who can meet the challenges of the present and the future. John Edwards was not that person on October 3, 2007 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.