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Opportunism vs. Consistency
Mar. 24th, 2011 09:38 amJonah Goldberg, no fan of the current President, wrote a post arguing that criticizing Obama for not having a consistent foreign policy was foolish. Goldberg also said, in a bit of a throwaway line, foreign policy is never a fertile ground for perfect consistency. You do what you can, where you can, when you can. One is, in short, opportunistic.
One of my favorite Presidents, Abraham Lincoln, is frequently criticized for being opportunistic. I would argue that all successful Presidents, and almost all successful people, are opportunistic. There are a few people who get by via luck, either of events or luck of birth, but most successful people do "what they can, where they can, when they can."
I would also submit that opportunistic people get lucky more often. They are always looking to do "what, where and when," so when a good opportunity presents itself, they quickly jump on it. They say that politics is the art of the possible. I suggest that life is the art of the possible.
One of my favorite Presidents, Abraham Lincoln, is frequently criticized for being opportunistic. I would argue that all successful Presidents, and almost all successful people, are opportunistic. There are a few people who get by via luck, either of events or luck of birth, but most successful people do "what they can, where they can, when they can."
I would also submit that opportunistic people get lucky more often. They are always looking to do "what, where and when," so when a good opportunity presents itself, they quickly jump on it. They say that politics is the art of the possible. I suggest that life is the art of the possible.
