Real Questions

As I watched the Republican debate on Wednesday night I felt the familiar urge to switch the channel. If I had watched the same debate with Democratic candidates I would have done the same. Why? Real questions are as hard to find as real answers. Giuliani was posed a question about his family and he responded by listing his accomplishments while mayor of NYC. Not a bad strategy but, still, it leaves me quite disillusioned about the candidates on both sides for this reason: when you are a manager/leader you need to take a stand and stick with it, no matter what people will think. The presidency is an executive position. Meaning you must find policy and execute (you may think this is obvious but legislators/presidential candidates would often rather stand around waffling than make a policy work). There is no time for sanctimony or preaching.

With this in mind, I have written a number of questions that I would like to hear the front-runners answer.

To Giuliani:

Your experience is mainly in local government. How are you prepared to handle operations on a much larger scale and to face the issues that arise when faced with heavily entrenched partisan interests that are so prevalent in Washington?

You preformed well during 9/11. Does this experience, however, make you an expert on terrorism or foreign policy? In what way are you qualified to understand geopolitics?

To Clinton:

You were the wife of a president and a highly successful lawyer in private practice. Your individual political experience, however, is limited. The Senate seat from NY is the only elected office that you have personally every held. Why should America trust you as an elected official when there are other candidates that have a longer career of public service?

To All Candidates:

What are you going to do your first day in office about Iraq? I do not want to hear some plan that is playing to your base or that people just want to hear. I want concrete steps and at least the beginnings of a solution.