Wednesday, August 11, 2004
True Leadership
It's interesting to me how the righties have become so virulenty angry when those of us on the left question the leadership of Bush. At first, we were just completely unpatriotic. But then that was shot down when members of the military started agreeing with us...LOL Then it became "lies"...which was also shot down because we pretty much have Bush's record documented. Now they're trying to write us off as "angry"..which is valid, many of us are. But given that the anger has to do with Bush's "leadership" and years of GOP pounding, the anger has some justification.
The question of leadership is definitely a worthwhile one when it comes to picking our Presidents. One of the tenets of leadership, it seems to me, is the ability to make important decisions in a timely manner..and make the correct ones. Or adjust course when things are obviously not going well and will not be going well in the forseeable future.
It's clear to me that having watched Bush as President, he's severely lacking in these leadership qualities. Sitting in the classroom on 9/11 is evidence of a man who cannot take decisive action. "Staying the course" in Iraq despite mounting evidence that it's obviously not going well and will not be going well in the forseeable future is more evidence.
But does Kerry have these qualities? A case can be made that he does based on his past actions:
According to the men who served under Kerry on his boat, Kerry was very good at making important decisions, kept a cool head and saved lives.
Kerry's daughter has testified that Kerry tried to save her pet hamster from drowning...and even tried CPR.
Even a former Republican senator has a testimonial about Kerry's ability to have a cool, decisive head in a crisis:
Former U.S. Sen. Chic Hecht of Nevada is a staunch Republican, but he thanks his lucky stars for Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.
On July 12, 1988, Hecht was attending a weekly Republican luncheon when a piece of apple lodged firmly in his throat.
Hecht stumbled out of the room, thinking he might vomit but not wanting to do it in front of his colleagues. Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., thumped his back, but Hecht quickly passed out in the hallway.
Just then, Kerry stepped off an elevator, rushed to Hecht's side and gave him the Heimlich maneuver -- four times.
The lifesaving incident made international news, and Dr. Henry Heimlich, who invented the maneuver in 1974, called Hecht to say that had Kerry intervened just 30 seconds later Hecht might have been in a vegetative state for life.
"This man gave me my life," the 75-year-old Hecht said Thursday.
Hecht said he was amazed that Kerry acted so quickly -- some people were assuming that he was having a heart attack.
"He knew exactly what to do," he said. "But a lot of people know what to do. They just don't size up the situation immediately."
This appears to me to be a pretty definitive pattern for John Kerry. Despite the bashing of the Bush Campaign/Swift Boat Veterans for "Truth"/rightwing spin machine, these actions don't lie.
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The question of leadership is definitely a worthwhile one when it comes to picking our Presidents. One of the tenets of leadership, it seems to me, is the ability to make important decisions in a timely manner..and make the correct ones. Or adjust course when things are obviously not going well and will not be going well in the forseeable future.
It's clear to me that having watched Bush as President, he's severely lacking in these leadership qualities. Sitting in the classroom on 9/11 is evidence of a man who cannot take decisive action. "Staying the course" in Iraq despite mounting evidence that it's obviously not going well and will not be going well in the forseeable future is more evidence.
But does Kerry have these qualities? A case can be made that he does based on his past actions:
According to the men who served under Kerry on his boat, Kerry was very good at making important decisions, kept a cool head and saved lives.
Kerry's daughter has testified that Kerry tried to save her pet hamster from drowning...and even tried CPR.
Even a former Republican senator has a testimonial about Kerry's ability to have a cool, decisive head in a crisis:
Former U.S. Sen. Chic Hecht of Nevada is a staunch Republican, but he thanks his lucky stars for Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.
On July 12, 1988, Hecht was attending a weekly Republican luncheon when a piece of apple lodged firmly in his throat.
Hecht stumbled out of the room, thinking he might vomit but not wanting to do it in front of his colleagues. Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., thumped his back, but Hecht quickly passed out in the hallway.
Just then, Kerry stepped off an elevator, rushed to Hecht's side and gave him the Heimlich maneuver -- four times.
The lifesaving incident made international news, and Dr. Henry Heimlich, who invented the maneuver in 1974, called Hecht to say that had Kerry intervened just 30 seconds later Hecht might have been in a vegetative state for life.
"This man gave me my life," the 75-year-old Hecht said Thursday.
Hecht said he was amazed that Kerry acted so quickly -- some people were assuming that he was having a heart attack.
"He knew exactly what to do," he said. "But a lot of people know what to do. They just don't size up the situation immediately."
This appears to me to be a pretty definitive pattern for John Kerry. Despite the bashing of the Bush Campaign/Swift Boat Veterans for "Truth"/rightwing spin machine, these actions don't lie.
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