An Experienced Commander-In-Chief

By Greg Quinn

September 23, 2008

I have spent most of my adult career building companies.  From work with NASA and DOD projects in the 80s and early 90s, to commercial technology company development from early 90s through today, the work of me and my consulting firm has been to effectively design and build productive technology companies.  Our team is recognized across North America for our contributions and capabilities in the development of strong organizations.

That said, I have the experience to truly recognize the elements that enable the likelihood of success within a company.  One of the most critical factors for organizational success is the level of experience of the Company and its leadership.  There have been many occasions where I have had to replace the management/leadership team within a Company in order for it to be positioned for success.  Lack of experience is a death knell for an organization.  Especially lack of experience in its leadership.

Put another way, it is a viable truth that an organization without effective and experienced leadership is likely to fail.  Investors will not put money into a company that does not have strong, experienced leadership.  Employees are not likely to remain with a company that does not have strong, experienced leadership.  Morale will suffer with poor leadership.  Experience of key staff is truly a critical factor in the success of an organization, large or small.

The same holds true with governments, and most especially military organizations.  Experience and recognizable proven leadership skills are paramount to success in government and military.  In fact, the military is a great illustration of career progression based on proven experience.  Can you imagine a military being led into battle by someone who has never had military experience?  Can you imagine a General leading many troops who has never worn the uniform of a soldier?  Of course not, and neither can I.

Fast forward to early November of this year.  Roughly 50% of the people in the US believe that experience in leadership is not important in the highest office of our government.  These same people must therefore believe that experience in the military is not important to the top military position in our Nation.  They are willing to put the success of the entire defensive position of our country in the hands of one that has never worn a military uniform!  This, my friends, is appalling. 

Barack Hussein Obama is inexperienced in leadership.  He has never run significant budgets.  He has never managed large teams of people.  During his short tenure in the Senate, he has never authored a bill that held promise of success.  In fact, most of the time he voted “present” instead of even taking a position on topics of importance to our government.  Very, very poor leadership.  Very little usable experience.  Yet, he is considered by many to be their choice as the next President in the greatest nation on earth.

If running the government was alone the task of our President, it would be challenging enough for an experienced candidate such as Obama.  Add to this the expectations of an inexperienced candidate such as Obama to manage our Military, and this is truly a horrific thought.  Obama has no military experience.  None.  Nada.  The closest military experience he has is some reported Black Panther relationships in his young adult years.  Just as an inexperienced General cannot effectively lead troops into battle, an inexperienced Commander-In-Chief cannot effectively lead our military.  Obama does not have the experience to be the Commander-In-Chief of our armed forces.

America is at war.  During a time of war, experience matters most.  We are not in maneuvers.  We are at war.  The enemy we fight is ruthless.  Unlike all other US wars except for the Civil War, the fight is not just overseas but within our own borders.  Terrorists threaten actions here in the US as well as abroad.  Look at 9-11.  Experience is necessary for victory in this war.  Failure in this war will mean the failure of our free society as we know it today.  We cannot afford to allow an inexperienced politician, who has never worn the uniform of our military and who has no clue of military operations, to effectively manage the greatest military on the planet.  It simply should not and cannot happen.

Any General or Admiral in today’s armed services would be a better candidate for President than Obama.  Any Captain in the Army would better serve the task as leader of our Military over the lack of experience of Obama.  Forget partisan politics.  I say this not as a Democrat or as a Republican.  I say this as an American.  If Barack Hussein Obama is the best the Democrats have to offer this nation as our military leader, then the Democratic Party is truly crippled.

In times of war, the most critical element in the decision of US Presidential empowerment is that of military experience.  The President makes the final decisions related to the defense of our nation.  The understanding of military operations is crucial to the success of any President during times of war.  We have two candidates running for President.  One, Obama, has zero experience.  Another, John McCain, has a successful and distinguished military history, comes from a military family, and is a decorated war hero.  Who is the better choice, based on experience, as Commander-In-Chief?

Today, we have Iran, run by a military leader, with the potential for nuclear weapons aimed at Israel and America.  They have a single-focused desire to eradicate the “infidels” from the earth.  Today, our brave troops fight a war in deserts and mountains against terrorists and militant forces that seek to destroy freedoms that all God’s mankind should enjoy.  They fight this war there where we do not have to fight it here.  Failure is not an option.  We must fight, we must win.  We must keep a strong defense.  We must take a strong offensive position to keep these terrorists away from our soil.

Obama voted against the war in Iraq.  He voted against money to provide essential provisions for our troops overseas.  His preference is to fight the terrorists here at home, if at all.  His Muslim roots are very concerning, as these are the same people that we fight.  Even if he had the experience, which he clearly does not, does Obama truly have the desire to fight those that represent the historical position of his family tree?

If a Company fails due to poor leadership, what is the outcome?  The shareholders lose money.  The employees lose their jobs.  Leadership must be replaced and the organization rebuilt.  If America fails due to poor leadership, what is the outcome?  We lose freedom.  We lose what is America.  This is failure that cannot be risked.

Just as the success of an organization or Company is determined by the experience of its leadership, so is the success of a military or a nation.   Remember this when you go to the polls.  Share this insight with your friends and family.  We cannot risk the security of our nation to one with no experience in military leadership.

The most crucial factor in a decision as to whom will be the Commander-In-Chief of our Military during times of war is experience.  We have one candidate that has the experience, and that is McCain.

Vote wisely.  The security of our nation is in your hands.

Greg Quinn