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About this quote

What does it mean?
Obama is described as having strong judgment, temperament, and pragmatism, with prudence noted as a fitting trait.
In plain terms
He is characterized as sensible, calm, and practical in decision-making.
What can you take from it?
Prudence and pragmatism are valuable qualities in political leadership.

Where it applies

  • political endorsements
  • campaign assessments
  • leadership evaluations

Putting it to work

  • value steady judgment
  • assess leadership traits
  • seek pragmatism

Questions to consider

  • What makes a leader prudent?
  • How do temperament and policy relate?

Another view

Positive character assessments may not predict policy outcomes.

More from Barack Obama

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  2. This isn't just some phenomenon of the Internet - to liken Barack Obama to the flash-in-the-pan Dean campaign does him a disservice. There is something happeni…

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  3. I am watching Hillary Clinton in her victory speech in new Hampshire...they just threw a bunch of college kids behind her, and had her talk about student loans…

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