Don Corleone was probably right after all. So was JFK. Every family must have its concigliere, every leader must have his/her "Bobby". Anybody watching the U.S. Democratic primaries between Obama and Clinton (Hillary, not Bill), would by now be watching who would get the VP nod. Long time Obamaistas (I believe there is even a Jakarta chapter ?) would probably pray that their anointed leader wouldn't take the "Change" message to heart and change mindset to have Clinton as his running mate.
Are there many "JFK and Bobby" pairs out there ? Leaders who - despite being brothers, even the two Kennedys are poles apart- can trust each other and can almost finish each other' sentences ? Does this partnership work ?
Answering these questions are better done using empirical data. Unfortunately, there aren't that many studies that I know of which can explain this. Frequent readers of this newspaper would have guessed by now that your correspondent has a particular fascination with presidencies. Having just finished two more books on presidencies and those people close to them, a common theme running through them are that gifted politicians definitely have their conciglieres and their bobbies. JFK has of course set the gold standard by having his Bobby who is , well, Bobby.
So what should you look for in finding your "Bobby" ? Here are some personal observations from Evan Thomas' biography of Robert F. Kennedy :
1)Somebody you can trust completely to overlook your failings as a normal human being
2)Somebody that when he /she speak his/her mind has your best interest at heart, and not their own'
3)Somebody that you can be sure will get the job done. Also known as "the enforcer"
4)Somebody that in carrying out your order, will not have too many questions asked
5)Somebody that you can groom to take over your role and you know he/she will not stab you in the back in the process
More to follow
Are there many "JFK and Bobby" pairs out there ? Leaders who - despite being brothers, even the two Kennedys are poles apart- can trust each other and can almost finish each other' sentences ? Does this partnership work ?
Answering these questions are better done using empirical data. Unfortunately, there aren't that many studies that I know of which can explain this. Frequent readers of this newspaper would have guessed by now that your correspondent has a particular fascination with presidencies. Having just finished two more books on presidencies and those people close to them, a common theme running through them are that gifted politicians definitely have their conciglieres and their bobbies. JFK has of course set the gold standard by having his Bobby who is , well, Bobby.
So what should you look for in finding your "Bobby" ? Here are some personal observations from Evan Thomas' biography of Robert F. Kennedy :
1)Somebody you can trust completely to overlook your failings as a normal human being
2)Somebody that when he /she speak his/her mind has your best interest at heart, and not their own'
3)Somebody that you can be sure will get the job done. Also known as "the enforcer"
4)Somebody that in carrying out your order, will not have too many questions asked
5)Somebody that you can groom to take over your role and you know he/she will not stab you in the back in the process
More to follow
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