The 2AM Presidential Test

There are many topics that can be evaluated in the brutal personnel selection process that we use when selecting a president of the United States, but in my opinion national security tops all. A great position on abortion or health care won't mean much if some nut group takes out New York with a dirty bomb.



Furthermore, national security is the one area in which the president can, in a crisis, act without the constitutional and political restraints that kick in with other challenges. As a result, the test, which is a paraphrase of one developed by George Will, is simple:



Assume that the president is awakened at two o'clock in the morning and told of an immediate national security threat that requires action within 15 minutes. Which candidate would you want to be making the decision?

[My own "top four" ranking of the candidates based on their experience, judgment, and temperment would be: Republicans: 1. Rudy Giuliani or John McCain; 2. Fred Thompson; 3. Mitt Romney; 4. Duncan Hunter. Democrats: 1. Joe Biden; 2. Chris Dodd; 3. Barak Obama; 4. Hillary Clinton.]