"Data" Vs. "Principle"

By James Fulford

12/12/2007

In the Wall Street Journal today, Jeffrey Lord of Qube.tv writes that America needs President concentrated on principle, not mere data, and it worries him that Fred Barnes is touting Romney as "The Man Who Wants To Fix Washington":
Is there a place for data? Is there value in process? Sure.But base an entire presidency on the importance of data and process over principle? Is this what Mitt Romney would do? Is this where a Romney presidency would lead? If so, conservatives have been here before.

It is not a good place to be.[That Does Not Compute |Mitt Romney has a passion for data. A great president needs a passion for principle. By Jeffrey Lord, OpinionJournal December 12, 2007]

I'm familiar with this argument, and while his example of Abraham Lincoln sticking to his course in the face of hundreds of thousands of casualties is unfortunate, his example of Jimmy Carter as the wonkish, data-driven, know-it-all President is worrisome.(It worries me that National Review has formally endorsed Romney.)

But after eight years of George Bush, I personally would like to see a President who had a lot more time for facts.

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