The Insider Candidate

It strikes me as interesting that Mr. Huckabee and Mr. Obama attack "the establishment" and "insider candidates" when the duo have accomplished virtually nothing outside of government.

While it is true that Mr. Romney's father was a presidential candidate, it is also true that George Romney had a terrific record of leadership in the private sector before getting into politics. The same is true of Mitt Romney. Governor Romney founded Bain Capital and rescued the Salt Lake City Winter Games before being urged to get into the political arena. Mitt Romney's public and private leadership represent a break from "the establishment" -- he is not the insider candidate.

Let's take this a step further -- it is safe to say that John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards would not be presidential candidates were it not for their service in the United States Senate. If you subtract the contributions of any of these individuals, how does the Senate's body of work look different in their absence? Clinton, Obama, Edwards -- hmmm...? Yes, they are good looking and well-spoken. Agents of change? I think not.

On the other hand, McCain has exhibited tremendous leadership in the Senate. He has been a serious and thoughtful player for a long time, and the Senate's body of work would have taken a different form without his contributions. True, he has championed some items that aggravate conservatives and that is his hang up in the GOP. McCain is the ultimate insider candidate, but I'm not sure why Americans should be uneasy about that -- particularly those who prefer to see someone who can take the country in a new direction.