I'll only elect you if you promise to make mistakes

My daughter had her first soccer game on Sunday. The coach gathered all the girls and boys around, introduced herself, and took attendance. I was surprised that Seren's name didn't come right away. She was first on my copy of the team list. The coach made it all the way through the list without calling Seren's name, and then asked if everyone had heard their name. I said that she hadn't, and then came over to look at the list. Seren's name was right there on the top where it was supposed to be. The coach had simply skipped it ... most likely because she didn't know how to pronounce it. I can completely understand the fear of messing someone's name up. I have taught a number of college courses, and I always examined the class list as soon as I got it to see what names I would have trouble with. I won't lie, one of the reasons I often had students introduce themselves on the first day of class is that I didn't want to stumble over someone's name. All that being said … I never purposely skipped someone's name. I wasn't that afraid of making a mistake.

Now, all of us are afraid of making mistakes ... but we all make mistakes. It really shouldn't be a big deal, even for a politician. I don't have a problem voting for someone who makes a mistake in their personal life or in their professional life. It also doesn't bother me when people change their minds. These are things we all do. If someone says they don't, they are lying. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, we rake our politicians over the coals when they change their minds, say the wrong thing, or make a personal mistake. This has impacted the quality of people we have to choose from at election time, and the quality of solutions to the problems facing the country. The problems facing our leaders aren't easy. The situation in Libya is a perfect example. Do we charge on our own in like we did in Iraq? Do we work with others and restrict our ability to control what happens? Do we stay out and let a democratic movement get violently stamped out? By acting, what are we committing to? It isn't hard to make a mistake in these situations. It isn't hard to do everything right, and not have anything close to a satisfactory result. The problems facing our leaders also change over time, sometimes quite quickly, and may necessitate a change of policy. If Congress makes it next to impossible to try terrorists in Federal court, you might have to use a military tribunal. I want my leader to be able to change their approach as the situati0n changes. Call me crazy, but I want a leader that makes mistakes and changes his mind. I also want my daughter to have a soccer coach who is willing to at least try to pronounce her name. I'm a dreamer.