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Hail to the Chief, President JD
Add "President of the United States of America" to the list of positions for which you're qualified with a law degree. As this article from USA Today (9/5/07) points out, the three leading presidential candidates in both the Democrat and Republican parties are lawyers -- which means that it's likely that our next president will have a JD.
Of course, not all of the candidates are touting their law degrees. According to the article, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney emphasizes his MBA rather than his legal background. But John Edwards cites his legal experience in standing up to big business. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama mention their public-spirited legal work, such as civil rights (for Obama) and children's legal defense (Clinton). And new entrant Fred Thompson draws on his legal experience in commenting on issues -- though he's more likely to be recognized as the fictitious district attorney from "Law & Order" rather than as a real lawyer.
Do you think a lawyer background helps or hurts when it comes to running for office? Or does it make any difference at all? Post your comments below.
Posted by Carolyn Elefant on September 7, 2007 at 07:05 PM | Permalink
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