Once again I am hearing rumblings of General David Petraeus for president. Today the UK Telegraph is talking up the possibilities of a Patraeus run in 2012.
[...] Many voters yearn for an outsider, someone with authenticity, integrity and proven accomplishment. Someone who has not spent their life plotting how to ascend the greasy pole, adjusting every utterance for maximum political advantage.
In this toxic climate, perhaps the only public institution that has increased in prestige in recent years is the American military. Its officers are looked upon, as General George Patton once noted, as "the modern representatives of the demi-gods and heroes of antiquity".
Where better to look for Obama's successor, therefore, than in the uniformed ranks? Not since 1952, when a certain Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during the Second World War, was elected President, have the chances of a military man winning the White House been more propitious. [...]
I guess the view from the other side of the pond is a wee bit distorted. Americans may long for a president with true integrity, but Americans are also keenly aware of what is going to be required in 2012. For starters, any successful 2012 candidate is going to have to have impeccable fiscally conservative principles. With all the wild and irresponsible spending taking place now, only a true fiscal conservative will have any chance of setting our financial house in order.
For me, there is another very important criteria, the next president must understand that progressive policies are a threat to our liberties and be gung ho to thwart or set back these insane policies.
As much as a stand up guy as David Patraeus is, I have not seen anything that tells me he meets the criteria above. Unless Patraeus can convince me otherwise, I am not going to take a risk on him.
Via: Memeorandum
Via: UK Telegraph