My Turn: 2008 campaign already under way
With President Bush barely through the fifth month of his second term, political pundits are already prophesying about potential presidential candidates for 2008. To the average American, this borders on absurdity, but to the political elite, it seems about right. So, potential candidates from both parties are already weighing in for the fight.
However, both parties have their problems with getting from here to there on viable presidential candidates. The Democratic elite remain variously enthralled with proven losers, John Kerry and John Edwards, while fantasizing about Hillary Clinton in the White House in 2009.
Meanwhile, the Republicans seem to be grooming Bill Frist, George Allen, and a few other senators for a run in 2008.
Personalities aside, senators have not fared well getting from Capitol Hill to the White House. In fact, only two sitting senators have ever been elected President: Warren G. Harding and John F. Kennedy. Harding was among our worst presidents; Kennedy nowhere near the best.
Given the sorry track record of senators winning the White House, both parties would do well to heed history and cast their nets wider for more viable candidates. The dismal public approval ratings for Congress should be an added incentive to do so.
Governors and former governors would be a good place to start. Unlike members of Congress, who are “one among many,” Governors have the executive experience and the savvy to make the leap from state politics to national politics. Governors also have a much better track record for winning the White House.
In the 20th Century alone, nine governors or former governors went on to become president. Some, like both Roosevelts, were strong presidents. Others, like Calvin Coolidge and Jimmy Carter, were relatively weak. However, all nine proved to up to the formidable challenges of campaigning for and winning the presidency.
Generals, too, have done well reaching the presidency, though not recently.
George Washington was, of course, the first and the best. Seven others followed in his footsteps, but none came even close to filling his shoes.
Dwight Eisenhower came closest, but that was 52 years ago. So, there’s some hope for retired General Wesley Clark, despite his less-than-stellar performance in the Democratic primaries in 2004. In my view, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State Colin Powell has all the credentials for the White House, too. However, he remains uninterested in the job, and unlikely to win his party’s nomination, unless his Republican detractors have a big change of heart.
So, 2008 may seem like a long time away for most of us, but it really isn’t for those from both parties who aspire to the White House. It remains to be seen who turns the corner, and who merely circles the block.
(Thomas B. Vaughn is a professor at Motlow College and co-host of the radio show “Viewpoints” on 91.3 FM.)