Caitlin and I did an ocean swim at Corona Del Mar this morning. No matter how much I tell myself that sharks don’t tend to inhabit the waters off Orange County, it is impossible to shut out the primal fears of murky water. Knowing that there are tens of feet of space beneath me is terrifying. Caitlin and I have varying responses to this. I jump at dusky shadows out of the corner of my blurry goggles. She imagines the wide jaws of a great white immediately in front of her.
What can I say? Although living together for almost five years seems to have turned us into each other at times (as we both get out of bed every morning to exercise, work full-time, date the loves of our lives, and go to grad school); we are still as wildly different as two brunettes can be.
Take our reactions to McCain’s recent VP choice. This morning I cynically bemoaned the fact that choosing running mates seems more like the auditions for the latest Hollywood blockbuster than any attempt to choose a good leader. Ms. Palin seems to be a strong, talented politician, and an all-around amazing woman; but not necessarily the wisest choice for leading a diverse county at a politically-complicated point in our history. She seems to have been picked in order to draw in a couple specific demographics. This makes me angry.
Caitlin disagrees. In her own (more articulate) words …
Ms. Palin is a breath of fresh air. Politicians are the People of the Polis. They (should) represent the best of ourselves–wisdom, moderation, justice, courage. Plato dreamed of philosophers running the city. Our founding fathers took up the revolution and subsequent administration of a country out of a sense of duty — as a supplement to their day jobs. I mourn the fact that being a “politician” has become a career and an ambition, instead of a anointing assumed with dread.
While I hadn’t even heard of Palin until yesterday, a little research into her history and family life reassures me that this woman knows what it means to live well and is willing to lead when she see a vacuum in the hierarchy. True, she has little experience of Washington and world politics, but her running mate has a lifetime of both. Instead, she brings a new perspective, firm personal integrity, clear communication skills, and an ability to manage organizations. She can compensate for her lack of experience with a well-chosen Cabinet. Others can provide support, guidance, and a knowledge of what happened in the past; only a leader can provide a vision of the future. Leaders can mediate a lack of experience; no one can ameliorate a lack of character (this is not a dig against the Democratic party, merely a philosophical observation of leadership in general). She has my vote. cSc
Yeah. There’s a reason we’re best friends.
Rebecca
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