Presidential Picks
December 10th, 2007 by Larry D. Burton
As of right now I only see three candidates that I believe are capable of holding the office of President of the United States. This has nothing to do with ideology, I’m not ready to pick on that yet, this is based purely on credentials and integrity. Two are Republicans and one is a Democrat.
 I like Bill Richardson. I disagree with him on many of the issues but I believe his life experiences have left him most qualified of any of the candidates to be president. I’m really surprised he is running behind Edwards, Obama and Clinton in the polls. None of these Democratic frontrunners have anywhere near the experience in running a government as he does. None of them have the diplomatic experience he does and none of them have the policy making experience he does. Bill Richardson is a remarkable man. He also strikes me as a man of integrity.
Of the Republicans you have Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee who both have demonstrated skills in running government and both man appear to be men of integrity. Out of the Republicans, who more has experience running government than these two men? Gulliani may come close but running city government, even a city government as large as New York City does not fully prepare one for running a country.
I like Huckabee a little better than Romney, though and if I was voting in the Republican Primary today I think I’d choose Huckabee. He’s a FairTax supporter, you know. I think I like Richardson the best of the three, though. I worry a little about a Dominionist bent with Huckabee.
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I am underwhelmed by the candidates, as usual, Larry. I understand your point about experience in governing a sizable entity as crucial to a presidential candidate’s fitness for the office he/she seeks.
I might cavil a bit at dismissing Giuliani’s bona fides in this regard while retaining Huckabee’s fitness in the same category. Is being governor of Arkansas that much more formidable than governing NYC? I have my own reservations about Giuliani, including how truly effective he was.
Both Romney and Huckabee worry me a bit on the religion in government front. I had not realized Huckabee was that far involved in dominonist influence. That would rule him out for me, regardless of other strengths.
I like Richardson the best of the lot, but as you point out, he is well behind the leaders. I will follow his campaign with faint hope.
Felix, I really don’t know that Huckabee believes in Dominionism I just worry that he might. That is probably unfair of me that’s just a worry. His faith has guided him in his governing decisions, there is no refuting that but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing or a clear indication of a belief in Dominionism. The closest example he’s shown was by vetoing a spending bill in Arkansas to help victims of “acts of God.” He sent it back to the legislature stating it was a good bill but he didn’t like the wording “acts of God” used to refer to natural disasters.