What America saw this week – during debate one between Gov. Mitt Romney and Pres. Barack Obama – was the contrast between a knowledgeable, professional executive and an inexperienced, untrained, and uninformed politician who has extended himself beyond his capability and experience.

For much of his life, Obama has used the Saul Alinsky “Rules for Radicals” system of “make-’em-feel-good – by-telling-them-what-they-want-to-hear” politics to propel himself upward. His good looks, voice, and acting ability – particularly while giving a speech – has projected him beyond his capability and/or preparedness.

If you want to understand why the U.S.A. is in such horrendous shape, simply review the debate video. It’s all there – for the world to see – a young man, uninformed, beyond his depth.

This does not mean that Obama cannot learn, grow, and become more than he currently is. But he must abandon his deceptive practices, identify his problems, and correct them. No more deceptions – no more fraudulent behavior – no more off-the-wall statements that cannot be substantiated. And he must be willing to do the hard work required to be informed and to lead intelligently.

One of the primary problems that attractive and charismatic individuals have is that there charisma carries them forward and they become personally lazy. In most cases, it takes them only so far. At some point they rise to their level of incompetence. To go further, they must identify their shortcomings and correct them or compensate for them. Unfortunately, Obama has not stepped up to this challenge. Success has come too easily for him. Frankly, his unwillingness to work hard at the job of State Senator, U.S. Senator, and President – has become obvious to anyone paying attention.

I have often called him the cheerleader-in-chief – because his extraordinary public speaking ability, aided by his teleprompter and acting ability, has seemingly been his primary role in his administration. He seems to have over delegated to schoolboy appointments in the White House or Congress. Why he even delegated the creation of his “signature accomplishment,” ObamaCare, to the Pelosi/Reid/Democrat-controlled Congress.

Last night we saw the real Obama – what happens when the usual props were not available to him – when his speechwriters could not answer the questions and participate in the discussion – when he could not filibuster his answers. He was uninformed and fell back on his 4-year old stump speech when he didn’t know how to answer the questions or respond to the challenges presented by Governor Romney.

I’m reminded of an old saying: “He who knows and knows that he knows is wise . . . Listen to him. He who knows and knows-not that he knows is good . . . Follow him. He who knows-not and knows that he knows-not is humble . . . Help him. He who knows-not and know-not that he knows-not is dangerous. . . . Shun him.”