Vilsack Withdraws

2007-02-24

I am greatly saddened by the announcement that Tom Vilsack has withdrawn from the race to be our next president. Of all the candidates so far, he was my favorite. I was looking to find spare time so I could contribute to his campaign. All that is over now.

According to his web site, he chose to withdraw because he could not raise the amount of cash needed to run a presidential campaign. This is sad. Vilsack has far more experience than Obama. He has far more (good) character than Clinton. Both those others are given cash at the drop of a hat. Worse than that, the others are given press exposure for every sniffle while other candidates are joked about in the press because they don?t get exposure.

I?m the first to admit that Vilsack is not particularly good at public leadership. When the September 11 attacks came, he went to work to make sure that Iowa was secure and that our economy was stable. He did not, however, make a public announcement to reassure the populace that things would be fine. Like for many Iowans, it?s the work that he does best, not the speeches.

It is this weakness with whipping up the media that was ultimately Vilsack?s downfall. He would be a great president in terms of accomplishments at the administrative level. He would not have scandals. He would not have constant bickering between parties. He would get the job done; he just wouldn?t tell anybody.

Leadership is sometimes as much about the spirit as it is the substance. Sometimes you have to smile reassuringly, even when wracked with worry about how to do the best for your people. Sometimes, you have to let someone else do some of the work.

Thank you, Mr. Vilsack, for your service to the State of Iowa. Your efforts are appreciated. I look forward to your service as the next Vice President of the United States of America.