What George W. Bush is most-sorely lacking, is leadership. He often claims that his most important job is to protect the American people. That’s trash. The presidents’ most important job is to lead. He was not elected to protect, he has no history of providing protection, he is unqualified as a protector, and he is terrible at it. The best way he can protect America, is to lead it. Let others do their jobs, and hold them accountable when they don’t.
Leadership’s job is not to hold the line or stay the course, threaten, instill fear, cut off diplomacy, chastise an opinion other than his own, declare that you’re either “with us or against us”, or any other form of divide, divide, divide. Leadership is not a strategy. Leadership is not a process to decide, justify, pray for validation, then deny reality. That is what leadership is not. What leadership is, is beyond this president.
Leadership is about unifying; People, cultures, ideology. It’s about listening, processing, understanding, conveying understanding, and using the power of common ground to reach otherwise unattainable goals. This president has strived to further divide the people of the world by alienating all who do not line up behind his pre-determined ideology. That is not leadership, and that is not American.
It’s not even that GW is a bad leader. He just is not a leader at all. He has been provided the opportunity for greatness. The first opportunity was provided by 51% of the electorate(twice). It is shameful not to be able to appease even those that elect you. The second opportunity was provided by Osama bin Laden. Evil often provides leaders with opportunities for greatness. Tragically, this was squandered. Like rarely-ever before were the people behind this president, and this country. America was so patriotic, that this president was afforded an unequivocal free-pass. To the regret of our nation, this pass was used against us.
The opportunity for unification, self-sacrifice, dedication, commitment, international unity, collective support were all squandered. Instead, we got bureaucracy, division, fiscal irresponsibilty, corruption, and the further intrusion on our own civil and moral rights.
He is just not capable. Sadly, he is just not enough of a man.
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