Leadership

Some are saying that hurricane Katrina is the worst recorded natural disaster that has happened on American soil. It’s got to be right up there with the 1906 earthquake that hit San Francisco, but very few alive today are around to give their recollections of that event. Much of San Francisco burned in the aftermath of that earthquake.

Of course, the world was very different then. San Francisco was largely on it’s own. There were no transport planes available to bring in help. There were neighborhood towns that offered what help they could, but that was it.

But today, we have the horrible disaster and I’m left wondering why it took the President two days to publicly mention that there was a need to look at the situation happening in Louisiana. Indeed, the President decided to cut his vacation short in Crawford, Texas to return to Washington, D.C. On his way back, he decided to divert to Louisiana to see the damage of hurricane Katrina for himself - from 5,000 feet up on Air Force One, from the comfort of his couch. Now, that’s leadership! He cared enough to stop by.

I wasn’t actually going to weigh in on this, because the press - from left and right - are doing a decent job of covering these issues. We expect that from the left-leaning news sources, but the right-leaning news source are also weighing in on this, and they aren’t being kind to our the President.

For example, this from The Union Leader of New Hampshire, a paper known for it’s conservative views. (highlighting my own)

AS THE EXTENT of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation became clearer on Tuesday — millions without power, tens of thousands homeless, a death toll unknowable because rescue crews can’t reach some regions — President Bush carried on with his plans to speak in San Diego, as if nothing important had happened the day before.

Katrina already is measured as one of the worst storms in American history. And yet, President Bush decided that his plans to commemorate the 60th anniversary of VJ Day with a speech were more pressing than responding to the carnage.

A better leader would have flown straight to the disaster zone and announced the immediate mobilization of every available resource to rescue the stranded, find and bury the dead, and keep the survivors fed, clothed, sheltered and free of disease.

The cool, confident, intuitive leadership Bush exhibited in his first term, particularly in the months immediately following Sept. 11, 2001, has vanished. In its place is a diffident detachment unsuitable for the leader of a nation facing war, natural disaster and economic uncertainty.

Wherever the old George W. Bush went, we sure wish we had him back. (source)

The problem is, George W. Bush didn’t go anywhere. People are finally seeing him for what he is.

He’s still the same stupid schmuck he’s always been. He’s the same person who speaks constantly in sentence fragments and half truths. He’s the same president who cares more about people disrupting his vacation than being the leader of the United States. When he finally gets an idea into his head, no amount of facts or reason is going to change his mind.

Yes, I’m alluding to the war in Iraq. Our war on terror is misplaced. We all know that. We know that there were no WMD’s in Iraq. We know that Iraq was not obtaining enriched uranium for the purpose of making bombs. Everyone knows this. We also know that there was no intelligence to suggest this prior to tearing Iraq apart. The President knew this as well. So why did we go to war? Why are 1900 of our men dead? Why are tens of thousands of Iraqis dead? Because George W. Bush took us to war without solid evidence that there was a threat? Why? One word: OIL. You didn’t really think we were going to leave did you? After all, we are building bases there to “protect the oil”. Yeah, right.

Meanwhile, Osama bin Laden, the terrorist who was supposed to be our target is still thumbing his nose at us. And the Bush Administration just doesn’t seem too concerned about that, saying that he is only one person in the war on terror. Folks, OSAMA BIN LADEN IS THE TERRORIST WHO LEVELED THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. He’s not just one man. Yet, they don’t care that he’s still at large. Why? One word: OIL.

Then, there’s this editorial entitled “Waiting for a Leader”, from the New York Times that came out yesterday.

George W. Bush gave one of the worst speeches of his life yesterday, especially given the level of national distress and the need for words of consolation and wisdom. In what seems to be a ritual in this administration, the president appeared a day later than he was needed. He then read an address of a quality more appropriate for an Arbor Day celebration: a long laundry list of pounds of ice, generators and blankets delivered to the stricken Gulf Coast. He advised the public that anybody who wanted to help should send cash, grinned, and promised that everything would work out in the end. [...]

It would be some comfort to think that, as Mr. Bush cheerily announced, America “will be a stronger place” for enduring this crisis. Complacency will no longer suffice, especially if experts are right in warning that global warming may increase the intensity of future hurricanes. But since this administration won’t acknowledge that global warming exists, the chances of leadership seem minimal.

All true. It was a difficult speech for me to listen to as well. I admit that a lot of that is just my personal baggage. There’s just something about his voice that makes me cringe. Secondly, he can’t speak. I want to hear from him, as a leader, not from notes hastily put together by some wanna-be speech writer at the very last minute. Yes, that’s what I truly think is happening because anyone who is in a position to put together speeches for the President of the United States can form complete sentences. Am I right? The speech was a disgrace, but then again, it comes from a leader who is an embarrassment to our country.

America deserves better than that.