HP's Meg Whitman Setting New Lows in CEO Incompetence

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- As I watched the presidential debate, I had several recurring thoughts. Each one produced some mix of internal conflict, concern, sadness and anger.

I wish Bill Clinton was on stage.

American politics died before I was born circa 1968, Robert F. Kennedy, Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles.

I wish I was Canadian.

One that made me feel like a bad person or, at the very least, a bit too dark, in a Louie C. K. sort of way: Did Obama experience a mini-stroke before the debate?

And, the most important one of all, "These are the two people we have to choose from?"

It reminded me of my reaction during periods of time as a professional sports fan. I recall years, particularly in football, baseball and hockey, where teams recycled the same old names for head coaching vacancies.

There should be a rule in pro sports. Once you leave coaching and enter the broadcast booth for more than a one-off appearance, you should never be able to return to the game as a player or head coach.

That would save us from disasters such as Marty Schottenheimer.

In technology, once you leave a CEO post and enter the political arena as a candidate for something bigger than the school board, you should be prohibited from returning to tech -- or any other space for that matter -- in any leadership capacity.

That would have saved us from Meg Whitman.

On one hand, you have to respect the Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) CEO.

She's willing to put herself out there and take serious heat. You lose any sense of admiration, however, when you see the way she makes what amounts to a non-case.

On Thursday morning, David Faber, Melissa Lee and Jim Cramer did everything they could to get Whitman to answer the tough questions on CNBC.

She came off more robotic than Obama. Like more of a politician than Romney. And, even though I didn't think it was possible, less inspiring than the two candidates combined.

The performance was beyond abysmal. Other than saying what amounts to trust us, she offered absolutely no reason why anybody in his or her right mind should buy HPQ stock.

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