Monday, December 03, 2007

What's wrong with preperation

Maybe I am naive, but I just do not get the point of the insult/attack launched by and at the Obama and Clinton that the other has been planning to run for President for a very long time [20 years, 40 years.] I just don't get it.

When I was a Boy Scout and running camping weekends for my troop, and later on council wide camping festivals with hundreds of participants, multiple units, and dozens of activities during the Order of the Arrow weekends, the 7P's were drilled into my head:
"Piss Poor Planning Produces Piss Poor Programming
Be prepared meant more than having a spare pair of wool socks, although warm feet solves most morale problems. Being prepared meant more than having a couple jugs of water available for the inevitable spilling of the tub of bug juice. Being prepared meant exactly that, spending the time to prepare for what to me was a major event and actually doing planning significantly ahead of time. I know I started my share of planning for the biggest event I ever had a chunk of, the OoA initiation weekend, fourteen months ahead of time. We were prepared, and that weekend went off well despite a near monsoon on Friday night, misplaced tools on Saturday morning at one work site, and a re-enactor coming down with an awe inspiring case of the runs on Saturday night.

I want candidates for President to be prepared for the predictable and also the unpredictable events that will face them during their term in office if they are to win. To do this means preparing and planning ahead of time, both on political and policy grounds. If an individual is not planning and thinking about the White House significantly ahead of time you get Fred Thompson or Wesley Clark.

I want better, and I expect better, and that means people who are ambitious and thinking 'In ten years, in fifteen years, I can make a serious run at the White House, so I need to work my tail off now and come up with interesting ideas, build coalitions of support and strengthen myself.' The vast majority will fail, but we are better off as a nation as we see the Peter Principle winnow out some of the least competent [it does not always work, see the current President].

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