Now that John McCain has selected his running mate—Pit Bull Palin, I feel that I can share my preference John Paulson. Since most of my best friends are Republicans, and at 64 I am running out of time to make new friends, I will not comment upon Pit Bull Palin except to say she is not my kind of dog. Several weeks ago when I ran my idea of Paulson by the chairman of a state republican party, he commented that unfortunately because of lack of time Paulson could not be properly vetted. I did not realize at the time that to get the Republican nomination, a candidate needs to be checked out by a Veterinarian.

In all fairness to the Democrats, I think the selection of Joe Biden was an excellent choice. Senator Biden, a thirty-six Senate Veteran, certainly has vast foreign affairs experience which in normal times should be the most pressing issue of a national election. Unfortunately, since I feel that we are possibly just at the beginning of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, I feel that the most pressing issue is economics. That is, with a federal deficit (including the debt of Fannie and Freddie) approaching our gross national product; we have very limited options to cope. Pep rallies that generate more heat than light cannot deal with the issues of energy, infrastructure, education, health, airline, automobile, housing, and retirement.

In a success mode, Paulson should become our economic czar; thus, complementing John McCain’s foreign affair attributes. While I do not want to make the mistake of Charlie E. Wilson, Eisenhower’s Secretary of Defense, who equated the fortunes of General Motors with the Country, I do note that Paulson’s previous role as Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs is a “big feather.” Specifically, Paulson brings the following positive attributes

  • Strong Administrative Capabilities

  • Grasp of Leading Economic Issues

  • Bi-Partisan Credibility

  • Integrity

  • Pragmatism

Since many our ills stem from long seated failures to address meaningfully important issues, we should recognize that mobilizing agents of change given the entitlement mind set of both political parties will take many years. Nevertheless, America time and time again has proved Nay Sayers wrong. From our Founding Fathers to Abraham Lincoln to Franklin Roosevelt, we have chosen the right leadership mix during crisis.

My reason for selecting Paulson above other candidates is his proven willingness to tackle difficult economic issues to overcome our current recession. That is, Paulson has incorporated pragmatic solutions rather than adhering to a philosophic mindset. Moreover, whether it is massively under funded entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare, the housing quagmire, the energy challenge, and our fiscal deficits, the nation needs legitimate bi-partisan cooperation. That is, unless we solve our economic ills, we cannot meaningfully address the myriad of problems confronting our nation.

In conclusion, the demand by the electorate for change is profound and legitimate. However, getting the nation moving again, will not take just 100 days, 1000 days, or 10,000 days. However, we need to put in a leadership role, people who have demonstrated courage to take on established views that are calcifying our nation. Sadly, the next President will work alongside Congressional leadership that deservedly has the lowest approval rating in history.