Knowing Our Own Limitations
By Harris R. Sherline
July 14, 2008

Listening to the presidential candidates as they stump on the campaign trail, it's easy to get the impression that they think they have the answers to every major problem confronting America. And, sometimes the less they appear to know, the more readily they seem to make judgments about issues that have enormous consequences, not only for Americans but for the entire world.

I know, I know, it's a political campaign, and candidates are supposed to have a position on every issue and solutions to all the concerns that bedevil us.

That's absurd. Not just that they can't admit they don't know everything but that the public, led by the candidates themselves along with the political pundits, immediately pounce on every misstep or misstatement as if they themselves had all the answers.

Here are just some of the things that seem to be expected of Presidential candidates in order to qualify for the job of leading our nation:

- Keep us safe: There is no such thing as total security, nor can there ever be, no matter what we do.

- End the war in Iraq: How to accomplish this without any negative consequences is the question. There is no simple solution to this situation, and it's disingenuous at best to expect or pretend that there is.

- Resolve the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: No one can do this but the Arabs and the Israelis themselves, and that's not going to happen as long as the Palestinians adhere to the position that Israel must be wiped off the map and the Jews driven into the sea.

- Provide affordable health care for every person in America: Many people believe this can be accomplished by nationalizing health care. That may be possible, but the evidence is that it would also seriously diminish the quality of health care in this country.

- Manage the economy so effectively that jobs are continuously produced for everyone, especially high paying ones, forever: The idea that this is possible ignores basic economic realities. There have always been and always will be economic highs and lows. It's a fact of life in every society, no matter what type of system they may have - capitalism, socialism or communism.

- Solve the energy crisis: Can't be done until Americans wake up to the fact that they must stop opposing every potential source of energy other than those that are "renewable," such as wind and solar power. These can be very helpful but simply cannot meet our current and projected needs, ever.

- Make everyone in the world like us: How is that possible -- with all the diverse and conflicting cultural, economic and political interests in the multitude of societies on the planet?

- Prevent Global Warming: So far, in spite of Al Gore's grandstanding, no one has the answer to this problem. Not yet, perhaps never.

- Eliminate poverty: Depends on the definition of poverty. In many societies, people survive on around a dollar a day, and we may be able to do something significant about their plight. However, if the goal is to raise the standard of living throughout the entire world to equal ours, that's not very realistic.

- Candidates should never change a previously held position: People's ideas, beliefs and values often change over time, so why shouldn't they be expected to modify certain positions based on experience and new information? Sometimes for the better, sometimes not.

- Candidates must agree with everything we may personally believe. Not only is that impossible, but a great many people are not exactly clear about what they themselves believe or they may hold positions on different issues that are contradictory.

- Finally, Walk on Water: No need to elaborate on this.

What I have not been hearing in the presidential campaign is any sense of humility from the candidates themselves. To me, that's dangerous. In my experience, the most worrisome people are usually those who have no appreciation of what they don't know -- and presume to have the solution to any and all problems.

Perhaps like most people, I know one thing for sure: I have never been and am not now qualified to be President of the United States, and I wouldn't accept the job if it were suddenly bestowed or thrust upon me. Not just because of my age, but because I couldn't do it. I don't know enough, don't have the experience or the drive and ambition to handle the responsibilities involved, and certainly wouldn't have the answers to most of the major issues that confront America today. Not really. How about you?

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NOTE: Read more of Harris Sherline's commentaries on his blog at "opinionfest.com."

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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.