Humility and humiliation

I've been trying to assess just what it is that makes me want Obama to win the Democratic nomination when, on paper, Hillary should be more qualified to lead the USA.

And ultimately, for me, I think it comes down to one factor. Humility.

Obama's got it and Hillary doesn't.

I don't know if there can be many things more arrogant than claiming to be the "inevitability candidate" as Hillary did. Suggesting that you'd 'better pick me cos there's no-one who even comes close to having what I have' really takes some gall.

Thankfully Barack adopts a different tack. His suggestion that he maybe offers what the country is looking for and he would try his damndest in office if he was to get in is much more appealing to Hillary's hard-nosed sales pitch.

There is no doubt that President Obama would be eternally grateful for every day of his tenure in the West Wing. I struggle to picture Hillary having the same emotionally charged edge to her first day in the Oval Office.

I believe this presidential humility would stem from an over-riding understanding that when you lead a country you are serving its people and not the other way around. With Obama, he would count himself lucky to be there. With Hillary, she would think everyone else should be grateful she put her name in the ring.

And of course the above is transferrable to UK Politics.

Tony Blair, the original "Servant of the People", was exceedingly grateful to the Cool Britannia voting public to start out with but 10 years was arguably too long for the man and he lost sight of what exactly he was trying to achieve with all that power. Gradually, the opinions of the electorate were less and less important to him.

Gordon Brown has picked up this mindset along with the keys to Number 10 and has been out of touch since day 1. I'm not sensing much humility and gratitude from the Clunking Fists at being allowed to be Prime Minister. This is especially disappointing given there was no election, internal or external, to the Labour Party.

For Wendy, well, I suspect there would be a genuine gratitude at being allowed to put her ideas into practise as First Minister but this is somewhat spoiled by her apparent inability to respect the mandate that Alex Salmond and the SNP have had for the last year.

And as for Alex Salmond, I am sure not a day goes by that he doesn't pinch himself at being First Minister. He is so delighted at the opportunity that I'm sure his smile hasn't cracked since.


And ultimately, that's what makes Barack Obama and Alex Salmond true leaders in my eyes. A mix of optimism, talent and experience but never succumbing to raw arrogance and complacency.

Their humility, whatever may happen for either man in the next few years, will always save them from humiliation.