Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour surprised a lot of political observers by announcing he would not run for the Republican Presidential nomination today, but his reason for not running is somewhat unique in being stated openly.
It is not because of his insensitivity to the issue of race in Mississippi!
It is not because he has the image of being too close to powerful lobbyists.
It is not because he recognizes that the country is not about to elect a Mississippian to the White House, because of the terrible image that state has in the national mind.
It is not because he is willing to admit that it will be difficult to defeat President Obama in 2012.
No, it is none of the above! Rather, it is because he is unwilling to give a TEN YEAR commitment to the venture of running for and winning the Presidency for two terms, which is indeed a ten year commitment!
This is a refreshing way of someone saying why he will not be a candidate, totally true but unusual, as no one to the author’s knowledge has ever used that as the reason not to run!
Barbour is smart enough to realize that it just might not be worth it to sacrifice a decade of one’s life to run for a job that is a massive headache, ages the person, and often shortens his life span, with the level of stress and tension he has to deal with for a salary that, compared to corporate leaders, athletes, and entertainers, is quite inadequate!
And to run for the glory and historical reputation that the position represents just might not be enough of an appeal for many to sacrifice their time and their health!