Palin's certainty

When asked by the ABC anchor if she was qualified to be President, Palin responded with great certainty that she was indeed qualified. I have admired many great leaders over the years who when faced with great tasks and responsibilities were humbled and invoked the help of God. These leaders often had spent many years dealing with the complexities of the tax code, health policy, the environment, foreign policy, national defense, Social Security, and other issues, but they knew that they were not prepared to handle these issues without the help of others and the Lord.
But Palin comes from an Assemblies of God Third Wave pentecostal movement that trains spiritual warriors ready to do battle.
There is a time for war and power, but there is also a time for diplomacy, international respect and understanding, a time to listen and be sensitive to pains, beliefs, history, and desires of peoples who are quite different than us. Diplomacy is a fine and often quiet art. FDR worked hard keeping together a very diverse alliance in World War II. Nixon opened the door to China with the help of brilliant, quiet diplomacy led by Kissenger. Bush senior built a large international coilition before he went to war against Iraq. Carter and Clinton spent a lot of time studying and listening before they brought together the leaders in the Israeli mess. Obama is a brilliant man but part of his smarts is that he is ready to listen to experts and foreign peoples.

America has been the strongest when it has listened to others and worked with them. WWII and the Cold War were won by the efforts of many nations. We are the richest and strongest nation now, but soon China and India will challenge us. Russia is coming back with its oil and gas sales. The European Union has great wealth and power. We owe foreign nations hundreds of billions of dollars, perhaps trillions, in various ways. What if they start calling in these debts? We are no longer the largest manufacturing nation, our schools have fallen behind in science, math, and technology. We need to understand and work with others.

We are a land of liberty, but liberty and democracy works only when there is respect for each other. As long as we feel we can launch pre-emptive wars when we choose, no other nation or even we ourselves can feel secure. As long as we feel like we can freely invade Iraq, Pakistan, Iran, North Korea, and who else tomorrow, as long as we are the world's biggest bully, we are not standing for liberty and freedom, but conformity and obedience.

We do not need spiritual warriors but peoples and leaders who exemplify the love, forgiveness, compassion, and respect our Lord exemplified.