A Candidate for President

She is woman
Of obvious class
And distinction
Who has led
A most remarkable life.
Her list of
Accomplishments
Could run for pages
And still not be complete.
She has worked
Side by side
With Mother Teresa,
Administering to the
Poorest of the poor,
And she has worked
On an equal footing
With world leaders
In government,
Finance and business,
Some of the richest
Of the rich.
She was equally at home
With either group.
In one sense,
Nothing she has done
Up to this point
Has prepared her
For the next challenge
That she has taken on,
But in another sense,
Everything has.
She has declared herself
A candidate for President
Of her native Bolivia.
She is determined
To be more than
Just a president, however,
She intends to be
A truly great leader
And leave her mark
On the world.
Some think
She is crazy
But I do not.
She has a love
For people
And a commitment
To make
The world
A better place to live.
She has the guts
To take on
Whatever obstacles
May confront her,
And the willingness
To train herself
For the task ahead.
She has no political base,
No experience
With political intrigue,
And no ties
With the military,
So there is little probability
For her becoming President
Using a traditional approach.
It just wouldn’t happen.
Her candidacy must be
By its very nature
As unconventional
As any political campaign
Has ever been.
She must establish
The legitimacy
Of her intentions
And speak with words
That will not be silenced.
Her words must appeal
To the people,
Capturing their hearts
And captivating their minds.
She must be
Recognizably extraordinary.
She has been counseled
To go back to school
To get a Masters Degree
In business or economics,
But I do not believe
That any of that
Will make a difference,
Or have her become
Who she has to be
In order to
Make herself known
And recognized
As the leader
She intends to be.
Others may hide behind
Their supposed credentials,
But what she offers is herself
In full transparent integrity,
A woman of obvious stature,
True to her word
Who inspires people
And gives them hope
For humanity
As well as the possibility
Of a better tomorrow.
What she must overcome
Is the cynicism and resignation
That says that nothing
Can be done,
That government is
Inherently corrupt,
That no one
Can be trusted.
She must excite
The confidence
Of those around her
And all those
Who hear her words
That with her leadership
And their participation,
Anything is possible.
In the end,
It will be a war of words
And her greatest weapon
Will be her word.
On that basis
She may very well become
The President of Bolivia.