What is your greatest weakness?

Now there’s a novel question.  Anyone who has ever interviewed for a job has heard that question before.  It inevitably comes at some point in every interview and there never seems to be a satisfying answer.  Be too honest and you could put people off.   Not honest enough and you risk looking shallow.  It’s a no win situation.

So why would Tim Russert ask the democratic candidates that very same question in the debate Tuesday night?

Obama drew the short straw and had to answer first.  He loses things, he confessed.  OK.  We all lose things.  I’m not going to fault him for that, but that’s his greatest weakness?  Come on. Edwards responds emotionally at times.  Oohh!  Now there’s a bad one.  We don’t want a president that has emotions.  Horrors.  And Hillary?  Well, she’s impatient.  She gets frustrated waiting for people to make changes when so much could be done.  Nope.  Not me.  Never felt like that before!

I remember a conversation that happened at our dinner table some 35 years ago.  My brother had had a particularly hard day and was feeling a bit down.  In an attempt to cheer him up, my Mom thought it would be a good idea if we all shared what we didn’t do well; her take on the “greatest weakness” question.  Understanding the desired intent, we went around the table answering as honestly as possible.

“I’m not very good at math,” said my sister. 

“I didn’t do very well on my chemistry exam,” I confessed. 

Mom and Dad even chimed in, although for the life of me I can’t remember what they answered.  All was going swimmingly until we reached my youngest brother who was about 10 years old at the time. 

“I can’t throw the discus very well,” he announced. 

He’s never lived that answer down.

Let’s face it.  We would all like to know a bit more about these folks and the current campaign format just doesn’t afford us that.  It’s all too staged and calculated for my taste.  There’s a lot of work to be done and we need to make sure we choose the right person for the job this time around. 

Surely there has to be a better way.