TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT...

TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT… June 2, 2008
Tonight the Detroit Red Wings attempt to win the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in the past eleven years when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Joe Louis Arena. The Wings, who lead the series 3-1, will try to raise Lord Stanley’s Cup as the first team with a European born Captain, Nick Lidstrom.
Before the series started, much of the discussion focused on the Red Wings experience versus the Penguins talented youth. The Wings have made the playoffs for the past 17 years while the Penguins, benefiting from the fact that they have been at the top of the NHL draft over the past few years have the next NHL super-star in Sidney Crosby, a former #1 overall pick in goalie Marc Andre-Theory, and a potential Hart trophy winner in Evgeny Malkin. Most of the alleged experts were not sure if the “old” Wings could handle the young Penguin stars.
As one might expect with a 3-1 lead, the Wings have shown that their experience is a valuable commodity. They have made the plays when needed. A great example was the play of Henrik Zetterberg, during Pittsburgh two-man power play late in the third period. Not only did Zetterberg have an excellent defensive play against Crosby, but he also carried the puck into the Penguins zone and got off shot on goal killing even more time. The Wings, with players such as Lidstrom, Draper, Maltby, McCarty all playing for their fourth Stanley Cup ring as a member of the Wings, have used their experience to exploit the younger Penguins.
Does experience always trump talent? What about in other walks of life?
The 2008 Presidential campaign is about to shape up as a debate between experience, John McCain, and youthful talent, Barack Obama.
Senator McCain has a long history of public service. Not only in the US Senate, but also as a Naval officer who spent too long in the Hanoi Hilton as a prisoner of war. He was a member of the House of Representatives for four years in the mid 1980’s and then was elected as a Senator in 1986. He has served in the Senate for the past twenty one years. Senator Obama gained famed during the 2004 campaign with an eloquent speech at the Democratic convention. With that speech, Obama became a national figure and was elected to the Senate later that year. Obama prior to his brief three year career in the Senate, served for eight years in the Illinois State Senate.
Obama speaks often of changing the tone in Washington and stressing his ability to reach across political isles to get legislation passed. However, I don’t think anyone can point to any time where he has done this. He was not one of the “Gang of Thirteen” that worked on a bipartisan judicial nominee agreement. He has not been the author of any major bipartisan legislation such as McCain-Feingold. What Senator Obama is very good at is giving speeches. He is able to appeal to everyday Americans with eloquent rhetoric that doesn’t fit his experience.
As a staffer on the 2000 Bush for President campaign, one of the big arguments against then Governor Bush by the national media and his Democratic opponents was his alleged lack of experience. He had only been Governor for four years and only the year before announcing his candidacy been re-elected as Governor.
Was President Bush qualified to be President? Obviously, America thought so. His leadership of the State of Texas as well as his business background provided America with enough comfort that he was the better candidate than the much more “experienced” Vice President Al Gore.
Is this year going to be the same? Most of the national polls have Republicans in a lot of trouble. The Real Clear Politics average Generic Congressional Vote (April 25 – May 25) poll has the Democrats up 49.4 – 37.4. There is general agreement that the Democrats have a much better chance to pick up seats in both the House and the Senate this November. Wouldn’t that also mean that Senator Obama would have a clear advantage over Senator McCain? One would think so, however the Real Clear Politics average of four different polls, run from May 21-June 1, between Obama and McCain has Obama up by only .7 points. Why is this?
Is it that this election will be a national security election and Americans do not yet trust Obama to successfully defend us from the many threats that exist? The Senator mentioned many times during the campaign that he would meet with leaders of nations that sponsor terrorism or have openly spoken of their hatred for our way of life. Countries such as Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela are not friends with the United States. Yet the Senator said that he would sit down and meet with their leaders within his first year in office. This naïve response has many Americans wondering if he is ready to be Commander in Chief. As the campaign continues over the next few months, Americans are going to have to decide whether or not this will be a national security election and if it is are they willing to go with the inexperienced candidate?
My current opinion, a lot can change in five months, is that Nick Lidstrom will be given Lord Stanley’s Cup tonight by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, and it is way too early for Senator Barack Obama to be measuring the drapes in the Oval Office.