Opinion - What's the Difference Between a Politician & a Stetesman?...

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A statesman does what's right for his country, even at the expense of his own political popularity.

In your opinion, are there any statesmen among the front-runners of either party?

In what way(s) is a statesman bigger than a politician?...

He/She is gracious and generous in his praise, and can correct not by browbeating them, but by asking them to be the best person they can. The statesman is above dirty tricks and asks his/her people to live by standards.

A politician strategizes ways to benefit themselves without regard to impacts beyond themselves. He/She causes rifts and dissention for their own purpose. They are willing to do things to the detriment of all, in order to further their own goals. They know how to play the game, and know how to game the system. They can be petty and believe the ends justify the means.

Do you find any states-persons (R or L)in today's race?

A friend of mine told me I always have to be right and can never acknowledge when I'm wrong.

Until I saw Obama take back the South Carolina list (detailing all of Clinton's "racial gaffes") I didn't realize what my friend meant.

My first instinct would have been to defend myself and say that it was an internal doc and not meant to be talking points blah blah blah and why should I apologize. But Obama made no excuses. He took it back and said he would tell his people this was not what he wanted. But he didn't say he would fire the woman who wrote it or anything and I bet he was totally cool about it. I realized then what my friend had been telling me.

I also realized I have been participating in the kind of behavior that is not worthy of my candidate.

I would like to be more like the statesman I wrote about and be the bigger person. I have seen politicians and pundits for so long that I started to be like them. Now I understand when people say they are out of touch!

Bob Edwards, I think.