McCain: Strategist or Tactician?

It's becoming more and more obvious, that McCain's experience, if not nature, leads him to seek immediate solutions to a problem, often at the sacrifice of big picture, long range planning and implementation. He often relies on that preference to take credit for things he didn't really fight for, at the expense of the grunts who did.

Here, by example, is a case in point.

Soldiers in actual combat often survive by quickly adapting to new threats via short term changes in tactics. McCain honed these skills as a combat soldier. He might say, "I'm up to my ass in alligators. I ain't got time to drain the swamp". His own language gives him away. He is fond of claiming to be a "foot soldier in the Reagan revolution". No matter what you thought of Reagan, he was a leader, not a foot soldier.

This week, once again, he has demonstrated his natural and skilled preference for a short term tactical solution to the problem of survival in his battle for the White House by making the quick and tactical move of trying to cancel the long planned debate this Friday in favor of showing up in DC to grand stand in the Senate over the so-called bail out proposal.

Obama has successfully countered this obvious ploy by McCain to get photo ops and dramatic press by ridiculing him, observing that the President of the United States must deal with many issues simultaneously, not go off half cocked with a whim of the week. Obama insists that the debate be held as scheduled, sticking to the agreed upon game plan.

McCain got his good soldier basic training at boot camp. Obama got his leadership education as a Community Organizer in the Chicago theatre. That is no small difference.

McCain gets off on the unexpected, urgent and dramatic. Witness his out of the blue choice of Palin, and now his sudden and dramatic insistence that the bail out proposal trumps his commitment to debate Obama this Friday. His transparent agenda includes rescheduling the debate to the day of the planned VP debate, realizing that Palin, like Cheney, must be kept at an undisclosed location. Too clever by half. Like Bush and Cheney, McCain treats us citizens as if we are all idiots.

In stark contrast to the tactician, the strategist focuses on the big picture, understands how all the tactical pieces interact and develops an overall game plan which allows for adjustments if and when they are called for. A clear example of Obama's strategic approach and talent is seen when one observes the complex and well managed campaign he has developed and implemented.

The strategist might say to the tactician, "You can't see the forest for the trees".

The President of the United States must be a strategist, who surrounds himself with those of other talents, including tacticians.

Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeper