Wanted: Wise Old Leaders | Tragic Comedy

Scott Hardie | July 18, 2010
Peggy Noonan just wrote a piece in the WSJ about how wise old leaders have been rejected for the last two generations, to the detriment of the nation and the world. I don't know if that's entirely true; Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd served until their recent passing at advanced ages, and as presidents go, we gave Reagan two terms as the oldest in history.

But I think it's fair to say that Obama's lack of experience and grasp of the long view is behind his blunders so far, and that the possibility of reversing this trend by electing another elderly president soon seems remote. Throughout the campaign, McCain was lampooned for his age above all else, even though it was an advantage in many ways, the primary exception being the increased likelihood of inaugurating President Palin before his term was up. I guess I'm glad that he's falling over himself to take hypocritical stances on immigration and gays in the military now that he's in danger of losing re-election, so that people have something else to say about him other than how old he is.