McCain - A Strategist? Not

In this 2008 Presidential race, a lot of talked about experience, winning war, judgment, etc., etc.. McCain argued that he has more experience and better judgment than Obama. Hmm! Let's take a closer look at what happened just the last 3 days.

On Wednesday, John McCain announced that he would suspense his campaign to return to Washington to "work on" the bailout plan, thus need to postpone the Presidential debate. Was that a good strategy or a poor one?

As a strategist, whether you are in a war, in a political campaign, or just playing chess, before you make your move, you need to assess the situation, assess the environment that you are getting into, and assess the odd of success. You need to think and act strategically.

But McCain decided that he would move the battle to Washington and bring attention to himself. However, the landscape in Washington was completely against McCain. First, both the Senate and the House leadership are controlled by Democrat, so Harry Reid and Nancy Palosi were in complete control of the negotiation and voting process, if it gets there far. Next, the President, with 4 months to go in his Presidency, is as lame duck as he can possibly get. As for the Republican leadership, they are ultra-conservatives and never were and are on McCain's side. Finally, the American people are clearly against this plan.

Whether or not you like the bailout plan, you have to agree the landscape in Washington was bad, especially for McCain. He had everything against him. Would a good strategist abandon your position and parachute yourself into a hostile and unfriendly territory?

But McCain did. He ended up looking foolish at the White House meeting, having nothing to offer, to say or the leadership ability to bring the other sides together. Then today, having to retract without a bailout plan, and run back to Mississippi with the tail between his legs to have debate.

Now, this is a Navel Academy trained military man, 73 years old with lots of experience, and pride himself having a strategy to win in Iraq. Yet, he couldn't even manage the situation in Washington, and fully capable of assessing the fast deteriorating and no-win situation for him in Washington. If he can't handle something that simple, how can he lead a nation in time of war when bullets and bombs fly and lives are at stake. Frankly, it is very surprising that a Naval Academy trained man would act so non-strategically. But then, this is John McCain, the man who graduated ranked 894 out of 899 in his class. Or maybe, John McCain slept through the lecture on strategy.