Strategy Masquerading as a Tactic

We were sitting around the table the other night playing cards (well Phase 10 – which is almost a card game).  For some reason the question came up as what the difference was between strategy and tactic.  We hashed it around a while, and we came to a consensus.

A few days later I was listening to NPR and they were doing a story on Newt Gingrich.  They said of an exchange he had with a reporter that it was “a strategy masquerading as a tactic’.  He was turning the tables on the political press.  The reporter asked him a long winded question that was essentially of the type “so how long since you stopped beating your wife.”   Mr. Gingrich flipped it on the reporter and asked him when he was going to stop asking “gotcha” questions.

From the NPR print version of the story I heard By Attacking The Media, Gingrich Built A Following here is the actual exchange:

“They said that you were undisciplined in campaigning and fundraising, and at last report, you’re a million dollars in debt. How do you respond to people who say that your campaign has been a mess so far?” Wallace asked.

Gingrich responded: “Well, let me say, first of all, Chris, that I took seriously [Fox News anchor] Bret [Baier]’s injunction to put aside the talking points, and I wish you would put aside the gotcha questions.” The crowd applauded wildly.

Soon enough, Gingrich took another swipe: “I’d love to see the rest of tonight’s debate asking us about what we would do to lead an America whose president has failed to lead, instead of playing Mickey Mouse games.” The crowd applauded again.

Our words are defined thusly:

Strategy:  The science and art of employing the political, economic, psychological, and military forces of a nation or group of nations to afford the maximum support to adopted policies in peace or war.

Tactic: A device for accomplishing an end.

For the record, our card table discussion of the meanings was on target.  Also for the record a Newt Gingrich fan I am not.  But he does help illustrate a point here. Don’t you just love serendipity?