Beware of overconfidence in politics: The problem of Obama

In his 2005 the State of the Union speech, a confident President Bush strode before the Congress and the nation and painted a picture of the world that was strangely rosy, given the many challenges America faces in Iraq, the Middle East, and around the globe. While State of the Union speeches are designed to boost national confidence and pride, Bush failed to prepare the nation and the world for the difficult steps that remain to fulfill the great goals he set out. The president was, in fact, be overconfident—with the result that the American people withdraw their support when the need is most apparent.

You see overconfidence and pride are dangerous. Pride Interferes with Clarity. Pride Obscures Intuition. As I have closely observed, the problem with the Obama campaign is not really Obama's self-confidence. It is a good virtue to have in moderation. The problem is that his self-confidence is growing into an over-confidence.

"A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.”— Proverbs 29:23. Why do I dwell on these matters? Because the more I watch Obama and his senior advisers the more stunned I their over-confidence and towering pride. Just read the accounts of his trip to Europe and the interactions of his advisors with the press. Look at his grand 'This is the moment...'speech when he clinched the nomination. Or, the 'We are the one we have been waiting for' speech. All these shows self-confidence crossing into over-confidence and pride.

As soon as a little pride begins to well up, there is God to humble you. It would be the same with Obama.