A President is expected to put his country first. It is a basic job requirement and part of the oath of office. But during a campaign, it is not always obvious when a candidate is really putting his country first. Flags in the background, martial hymns and lapel pens serve as promises that the candidates love their country, but do not demonstrate true patriotism.
But a political campaign does provide us with a window into the character of each candidate. I have been impressed throughout this long campaign at the way Barack Obama has been careful that his current political needs will not interfere with his ability to govern effectively as President. The way he has run his campaign is a clear demonstration of his patriotism.
Obama ran a primary campaign without resorting to negative attacks which set the groundwork for the reunification we saw at last weeks convention. It is clear now that Senator Clinton will be working to help Obama win the general election, and will be a strong ally in the Senate as he shapes his agenda.
In the general election campaign, the stakes are just as high. Obama's treatment of his Republican opponents will determine the level of partisanship and animosity he faces from the minority in the House and Senate. He has been quick to give McCain credit for his service as a veteran, and defended Governor Palin from attacks on her family. He has insisted that his supporters should never question the patriotism of their rivals. He is running the kind of campaign that will allow him to work with the Republicans after the election without lingering resentment.
Senator McCain, for all his talk about bipartisanship, has been quick to demonize Obama and the Democratic Party as a whole. The attacks have often been petty and dishonest, questioning Barack Obama's character and patriotism. We have seen the end results of this before. George Bush campaigned using the same tactics, and his administration maintained these bad habits for eight years of lies and partisan attacks. while the President was successful at enacting many policies that the Democrats disagreed with, some of his biggest priorities were stopped in their tracks.
McCain's negative campaigning is just one of many ways he has made this trade off. By accepting PAC money and relying on the unregulated 527's, he would enter the White House beholden to many of the same people who have helped our current President shape policy. He has made a political decision to accept their support while Obama has made an executive decision to maintain his independence.
But the clearest and most important example is McCain's political choice for vice-President. A candidate should consider the political implications when selecting a running mate, but it is not soley a political choice. While many have said that his selection of a staunch conservative woman was made for political reasons, I don't think we will ever know. Maybe he really does think that Governor Palin would make a terrific Commander-in-Chief on day one.
The political choice he made was the choice of timing. He wanted to interrupt Obama's momentum after the convention. He wanted a big news story. And he wanted it to be a surprise. That limited his options in ways that interfered with his ability to properly vet his choice. Rather than wait a few extra days, giving his team a chance to meet with Palin and thoroughly investigate her background in Alaska, McCain made an impulsive political gamble.
In response to the questions about the vetting process, his advisers have explained that by sending a vetting team to Alaska it would have ruined the surprise. That would have been a political cost, but the payoff is knowing you have the right person who could take on the job of President if necessary. The Vice-Presidency is not a surprise birthday party. It is not a Christmas gift in the back of a closet. There is no value to surprise besides that shortest-term value of a single good news cycle.
While many had suggested that Senator Biden's free-wheeling verbal style could pose political risks to Obama's campaign, I think it is clear that he has the experience and judgment to be a good President. The meetings and vetting process that the Obama campaign used in their selection were heavily covered by the press, and word of the decision leaked even before the campaign sent their announcement message. They lost the surprise value, but ensured they had the best person for the campaign and for the country. In his Vice-Presidential selection process, Barack Obama put his country first.
For McCain, it is a campaign promise. For Obama, it is how he runs his campaign.