Optimism, Faith, and Leadership

As the legions checking in here from time-to-time know, I am a glass half-full kind of guy but I have a few thoughts about some of the feel-good platitudes spouted by our President over the last few days: New Orleans will re-build, it will be better than ever, blah-blah, blah. As this middling-triumvirate was lending it's collective voice to the outrage of the lack of response by the government and Bush's general ineptitude, I got to thinking about Bush's "leadership" particularly as it is refelected in his statements about this disaster.

Almost all his public pronouncements are peppered with the flowery language I referenced above, followed always by the empty thank-you's to all the people on the ground. Well it doen't mean shit. Bush's language of optimism and faith rests on his experience: ask and you shall receive. It is part of his personal narrative. Daddy, I want to go to Yale. Daddy, I don't want to go to Vietnam. Daddy, I want a job. Daddy, I want to start a failing oil company. Daddy, I need some favors from the SEC so that I can trade some potentially worthless stock. Daddy, I love the game of baseball, know anyone who needs me to own a team? Daddy, I want to be governor of Texas. Daddy, I want to be President.

When Bush needed a job, all he had to do was ask. When Bush needed money to prop-up a failing venture, all he had to do was ask. So if you are George W. Bush, why not believe in the exercise of prayer? The man has never wanted for anything a day in his life so why start now? Need to rebuild the City of New Orleans? Just ask daddy (and Bill Clinton). Just ask baby.

But ultimately Bush has failed the test not of blind faith but of leadership, and this is an area why his life of handouts and favors has failed him. Because he never had to accomplish anything on his own, because there were never consequences for his actions (yes, even in 2004 thanks to 51% of the electorate), because he has always been able to get by in life, this is the kind of leadership we should expect. He brags that he doesn't "lead by polls". Yep, leadership to Bush means divining what is good for your constituency (the monied class) and advocate legislation that accomplishes those ends. Why worry about consequences? Until now.

As Katrina bore down on the gulf coast we saw our fearless leader at work, down on the ranch, selling medicare, being who he is: a tool. With his pants down, nature and a lot of unhappy people are giving him just what he deserves and exposing that truth that has been obvious to many of us for a long time. Bush may be a lot of things, but one thing he is not: a leader.