Oprah for president?

Longtime television personality Oprah Winfrey delivered a stirring speech during last night’s Golden Globes awards, which I admit I didn’t watch. Some people are thinking and saying that she should run for president.

Frankly, I hope she doesn’t. We don’t need another celebrity in the White House.

Unlike many, I don’t have a problem with celebrities embracing politics and causes or sharing their views — this is a free country, after all, and I appreciate their willingness to become informed. But I certainly don’t want anyone actually running a country without any experience in government.

See, it’s really easy to go on the stump and say what you’ll do if you win. It’s another entirely to deal with lawmakers, lobbyists, media and representatives from other nations, among other things — and do so simultaneously. In our system the president isn’t a monarch to be worshipped; he or she is an administrator that needs to put people in different jobs, nominate judges and other things. If you understand basic civics, these should be understood immediately.

And as such, being simply well-known doesn’t make a qualification for any office. Unfortunately, we Americans don’t seem to get that, believing that a transition to government service should be seamless. As we’re seeing now, it isn’t that simple because, like it or not, nations need a “political class” because it takes more than a desire to be involved.

If Ms. Winfrey really wants to contribute, let her run for something else first. Being president is simply too much at this point.