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Time for a Non-Dynasty to Have a Turn @ 21 April 2008 07:05 AM

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has long run on the message that her many years in Washington, including the time when she served as First Lady, leave her better equipped to be President herself. Using the spouse to campaign and offer a step up is nothing new in the Clinton family—when Mr. Clinton ran for President in 1992 he campaigned with the message that America would get "two for one," in other words that Ms. Clinton would be an influential force in the White House. Isn't it time, however, that Ms. Clinton gave another family a chance? There are over 140 million people over the age of 35 living in the United States today; shouldn't the pool for our President be widened a bit?

Legacies are not unfamiliar to U.S. Politics. Unfortunately, the second of a dynasty rarely acts as well as the first. John Adams was an important statesman, a driving force for the independence of the Colonies, and an important architect of the Constitution. His son, John Quincy Adams, although respected as a statesman before his presidency and a designer of the Monroe Doctrine, as president failed to accomplish much in the way of foreign policy and enacted high protective tariffs that damaged the importation business and as a result damaged exports as well. He was defeated after only one term by Andrew Jackson. Although George H.W. Bush's presidency was hardly flawless, it was certainly much better than the current presidency of his son, George W. Bush, who has sought to continue failed policies of his father with devastating results. Our country fought for independence to free ourselves from dynasties, and the United States can not fall prey to the idea that just because someone is a legacy means that they have the skills and intellect to run one of the most powerful countries in the world. Ms. Clinton should step aside and let in those who are running because they believe they can make change, not because they believe it is their turn.