Let's Talk Qualifications

Suppose, for a moment, that we picked political leaders the same way we might hire an employee. Wouldn’t that make some sense? After all, that is what our political leadres are--our employees. Why not, as voters, have a look at everyone’s resume, and then chose whomever is most qualified? That way, most times, we would get the best possible leader, wouldn’t we?

Oddly, we do not. Most people are barely aware of politicians’ resumes. We are swayed by their stands on various issues. I'm not sure why--the issues they will face as actual leaders are largely unpredictable, and the stance of a given candidate on a given issue tends to change with the polls. Seems a bit of a con. Why not go for pure competence?

For those who might want to do this, let me help. I thought I’d try the exercise with the current crop of US presidential contenders.

First, I went online and sketched out resumes as best I could. Then I awarded one point for each year of executive experience, one point for each year of government experience, one point for each year of higher education, and one extra point for each earned degree. All the candidates attended pretty creditable universities, so quality of education did not seem to be a big factor. Nevertheless, I gave an extra point to those who, like Hillary Clinton or Mitt Romney, had attended Ivy League (Yale and Harvard, respectively). Then I gave extra points for extra distinctions that seemed relevant: Giuliani’s Time Man of the Year citation, McCain’s medals, Edwards’ “national award for public service,” given by the US Trial Lawyers’ association; or overall "significant success" in a job--like Romney's handling of the troubled Salt Lake City Olympics.

I then deducted one point for prominent family connections. I think this is a warranted handicap—someone coming from a poor or obscure family, and making a home run in life, has really done more than someone who was born on second base. This means, for example, that Hillary Clinton loses a point for being married to a former president; John McCain loses a point for having both a father and a grandfather who were admirals. Perhaps it should have been more.

Here are the standings I end up with:

John McCain: 54 points
Mitt Romney: 40 points
Rudy Giuliani: 39 points
Mike Huckabee: 34.5 points
Fred Thompson: 21 points
Barack Obama: 21 points
Hillary Clinton: 16 points
John Edwards: 16 points

So McCain ought to be our choice. Of course, he has a bit of an advantage—he is older than the other candidates, and so has had more years in which to earn his distinctions. This might be counterbalanced by a certain lack of vitality. Perhaps; I guess we can judge that by watching him on the campaign trail. If so, Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani become the standouts, with only a whisker between them.

It is also noticeable that the Democratic candidates are as a group less qualified than the Republicans. This may not be fair; the Republicans have been the majority party for the past few years, so it stands to reason that its adherents have had greater opportunities to acquire government experience.

Nevertheless, going for less experience and fewer qualifications has been a Democratic tendency for some time, including times when it was the majority party. Jimmy Carter had a relatively light resume; so did JFK; so did Harry Truman; so did Bill Clinton. A detractor might say Democrats have a weakness for a smooth talker and a pretty face; a supporter might argue that this shows Democrats have a preference for the underdog.

The one point on which the Democratic candidates tend to show well is on education. This may reflect the role of academe as a bastion of the left. Conversely, Republicans are much strounger on executive experience. This may reflect the role of the business world as a comparable bastion of the right.

For those not bored by this point, here are the fragmentary resumes I put together, plus the standings in the various evaluated categories:


John McCain:
US Naval Academy graduate.
In active naval service during Cuban missile crisis and blockade.
Requested combat duty in Vietnam.
Navy pilot in Vietnam War.
Injured in fire on USS Forrestal.
5.5 years as a POW; underwent torture. Refused release when offered.
Studied for one year at the National War College.
Became commanding officer of naval air squadron.
Served as US Navy liaison officer to US Senate; retired as captain.
Received a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit, the Purple Heart, and a Distinguished Flying Cross.
Four years as Congressman.
Twenty-one years as a Senator; served on Armed Services Committee, Indian Affairs Committee; chaired Commerce Committee.
Adopted disabled Bangladeshi child.


Mitt Romney:
BA, Brigham Young University.
JD, MBA, Harvard. Baker Scholar.
Co-founder, Bain Capital.
CEO, Bain & Company. Turned failing business around.
Amassed personal fortune of circa $200 million.
CEO, 2002 Winter Olympics. Turned around failing and scandal-ridden games, turned a profit.
Four years as governor of Massachusetts.


Rudy Giuliani:
Graduated from Manhattan College.
JD, New York University. Made law review.
US Attorney.
Associate Deputy Attorney General under Ford.
Associate Attorney General under Reagan.
Mayor of New York for 6 years.
Time Magazine Man of the Year, 2001.
Honourary knighthood from the UK.
Founder of Giuliani Partners.


Mike Huckabee:
BA, Ouachita Baptist University.
One year as a graduate student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Baptist pastor. President of a Christian TV station. President, Arkansas State Baptist Convention.
Three years as Lieutenant-Governor of Arkansas. Ten years as governor of Arkansas.


Fred Thompson:
BA, University of Memphis.
JD, Vanderbilt University, on scholarship.
Minority counsel, Senate Watergate Committee.
Special Counsel, Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Special Counsel, Senate Intelligence Committee.
Successful actor.
Seven years as a Senator; chaired Committee for Governmental Affairs, served on Finance Committee, the Intelligence Committee, and the National Security Working Group.


Barack Obama:
BA, Columbia University.
JD, Harvard University. President of Harvard Law Review.
Taught law at University of Chicago.
8 years in the Illinois State Senate.
Two years in the US Senate.
Served on Senate Committees for Foreign Relations; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; and Veterans' Affairs.


Hillary Clinton:
Graduated from Wellesley College.
JD, Yale Law School.
Further postgraduate study at Yale.
Taught law at University of Arkansas.
Named by the National Law Journal as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America.
Six years as a Senator; served on Armed Services Committee.


John Edwards:
BA, NC State University.
JD, UNC.
The Association of Trial Lawyers of America's national award for public service.
Six years in the US Senate. Served on Intelligence and Judiciary Committees.
Nominated by the Democratic Party as their VP candidate, 2004.


Government experience:
McCain: 25 years
Giuliani: 16 years (significant success)
Huckabee: 13 years
Thompson: 11 years
Obama: 10 years
Clinton: 6 years
Edwards: 6 years
Romney: 4 years


Executive experience:
Romney: 23 years (significant success)
McCain: 19 years (as Navy officer)
Huckabee: 16 years
Giuliani: 9 years (significant success)
Thompson: 0 years
Clinton: 0 years
Obama: 0 years
Edwards: 0 years


Educational background:
Romney: 8 years, 3 degrees; Harvard
Clinton: 8 years, 2 degrees; Yale
Obama: 7 years, 2 degrees; Columbia, Harvard
Giuliani: 7 years, 2 degrees
Thompson: 7 years, 2 degrees
Edwards: 7 years, 2 degrees
McCain: 5 years (undistinguished), plus pilot training, 1 degree
Huckabee: 4.5 years, 1 degree


Special distinctions noted:
McCain: 5 (military medals)
Giuliani: 3 (knighthood, Man of the Year, 9/11)
Romney: 1 (Salt Lake City Olympics)
Thompson: 1 (distinguished acting career)
Obama: 1 (Harvard Law Review President)
Edwards: 1 (award for public service)
Huckabee: 0
Clinton: 0