Letter: Romney interested in fame, not leading

To the editor:

One common question that is often asked is what do Americans, and the outside world, expect the president of the United States to be?

 One simple answer is reliable, consistent and decent. Another answer would be that he does what he says and says what he does. Why? Because that, in many ways, reflects on the man’s motives for wanting to be a president in the first place.

Now then, does President Barack Obama qualify? Well, one could say the man is obviously decent; he has nothing else better to do but his job — especially that he is the first African-American to hold this position and wants to make a go of it.

Does he know enough? That is probably debatable. However, this is not so important because he, like all other presidents, has lots of expertise around to advise him on issues at hand.

Based on the above criteria, is Mitt Romney qualified? No. From what one can tell, all the man wants is to be president. He made a fortune, and now he is after fame.

He will go about his presidency, if elected, just like he did in his businesses. In his proclaimed business, he didn’t care what happened to the employees and/or the run-down businesses he acquired, he just wanted to be rich.

You don’t go to foreign countries seeking support to be president as he did. The clear path to the White House should be secured by the American people’s votes, not by satellite countries as Romney sees it. He is prepared to do and/or say anything, depending on the company and circumstance he is in, to become president.

Running a financial lending operation or taking over distressed businesses isn’t exactly the same as running a country where there is much more involved, especially when that country is the greatest on earth.

By virtue of its greatness, the U.S. has global responsibilities. One positive feature about Obama being in office is that he is a role model for the true American dream, and that reflects, to the outside world, how great on human ethics and rights this country is.

Unlike Obama, who thrives to save American lives overseas by taking the proactive approach, Romney will endanger American lives in his reactive approach, either to please a certain group or just to look tough.

Romney wants to send our young men and women into harm’s way again, to Iran, more like Bush sent them to Iraq. What the average American gained from that brutal engagement in Iraq remains questionable, to say the least. Again, what is the intrinsic interest for the average working American in fighting a huge and perhaps well-armed Iran?

As for job creation, it is the innovations in science and technology, resulting in new products for use domestically and abroad, that catalyze job growth. That comes about through investing in basic research and technology. This is the way to generate job opportunities for Americans, of all sectors, and close the trade deficit. And that is exactly what the Obama administration started out doing from day one; capitalizing on the exceptional powers of ingenuity this great nation posses.

The outcome may be slow but ultimately sure and solid. To me, the choice is clear. It boils down to choosing between a genuine road map coached by a sincere leader and that of rhetoric coached by what seems to be a rich man out for fame and glory.

Ahmed Mubarak

Greenwood