Seems like a good Bush-bashing kind of day. I was thinking back to Bush's vague 2000 campaign, where, aside from promising to cut taxes, the only real specifics were being a "leader" (pronounced "leaderrrr") and a "uniter." We can all have a good laugh about the "uniter" part, but I realize that many on the right still consider Bush a good "leaderrr", because he is unwavering on Iraq. Many on the left & in the middle consider this psychotic, but I thought I would address what I personally would have looked for in a leader over the past few years to counter such claims:
To me, a leader would:
- Look for every reason NOT to go to war before committing our forces, instead of cherrypicking conflicting evidence to try to “sell” a war
-Not get hung up in the minutia of the day-to-day operation in a war, but WOULD ensure that major decisions like “disbanding the Iraq army” were not done without his clearance
- Talk about working with Democrats, Republicans & opposing viewpoints, and then actually follow through with that. Real leaders are not afraid of dissent or compromise.
- Be secure in himself to the point where he doesn’t always have to remind everyone that he is the “leader” and the “decider”
- Admit mistakes, and take accountability
- Be PROACTIVE about addressing potential crises, instead of, say, continuing their vacation while a hypothetical hurricane floods & destroys a major American city
- Place competence & performance above personal loyalty when hiring & firing key personnel in their administration
- Be able to communicate ideas articulately & with clarity
Real leaders also don't openly challenge our enemies to try to kill more American soldiers.
In short, Bush has really sucked...
To me, a leader would:
- Look for every reason NOT to go to war before committing our forces, instead of cherrypicking conflicting evidence to try to “sell” a war
-Not get hung up in the minutia of the day-to-day operation in a war, but WOULD ensure that major decisions like “disbanding the Iraq army” were not done without his clearance
- Talk about working with Democrats, Republicans & opposing viewpoints, and then actually follow through with that. Real leaders are not afraid of dissent or compromise.
- Be secure in himself to the point where he doesn’t always have to remind everyone that he is the “leader” and the “decider”
- Admit mistakes, and take accountability
- Be PROACTIVE about addressing potential crises, instead of, say, continuing their vacation while a hypothetical hurricane floods & destroys a major American city
- Place competence & performance above personal loyalty when hiring & firing key personnel in their administration
- Be able to communicate ideas articulately & with clarity
Real leaders also don't openly challenge our enemies to try to kill more American soldiers.
In short, Bush has really sucked...
