Follow the leader

It’s an old adage – in America, anyone can become president. I wasn’t entirely convinced of this until George W. Bush was elected. Twice. It had finally happened – complete incompetence could be bought off with good old Christian values and five Supreme Court votes. \nI would venture to say that the prestige of the presidency has diminished so much in the last six years that any ordinary Joe has convinced himself that he can be the next leader of the free world. I mean, Tom Vilsack for president? Seriously? In an odd way though, I am grateful to President Bush. His disastrous undertakings ranging from Iraq to Katrina have provided a useful guidebook to potential candidates. Specifically, it offers the qualities that makes a politician a bad leader. And no one needs a copy of this book more than Sen. Hillary Clinton. It seems that her expensive and flashy consultants are saboteurs since most of her scripts sound like Republican talking points. \nConsider this: “To underscore a point, some people may be running who tell you we don’t face a real threat from terrorism. I’m not one of them. We have serious enemies who want to do us serious harm.” Forgive me for sounding so negative but I have never heard a democratic candidate declare that they love terrorists. That was the Republicans’ job. \nHow about this: “As a senator from New York, I lived through 9-11 and I am still dealing with the aftereffects. I may have a slightly different take on this from some of the other people who will be coming through here.” Sen. Clinton made this statement when asked about her ill-fated vote for the Iraqi invasion. Note the Senator’s not-so-subtle maneuver to bring up the Sept. 11 attacks in connection with Iraq. \nThis final gem: “If the most important thing to any of you is choosing someone who did not cast that vote or has said his vote was a mistake, then there are others to choose from.” Sen. Clinton’s nonapology attacks the current crop of Democrats like Sen. Obama and Sen. Edwards. It also places a difficult burden on her – to prove that her vote for the Iraqi invasion was the right thing. Unfortunately, her countless interviews have yielded no such answers. \nThe last thing we need is a leader who refuses to admit mistakes, at the risk of sounding “weak.” Six years of inflexibility and hubris from the current administration have shown us the dangers of an infallibility complex. And this can only lead to a slippery slope – a leader who thinks she can do no wrong believes in her supposed righteousness, as well. \nA high and mighty attitude, if left unchecked, can make one believe that he is higher than the law. What else can explain President Bush’s dismantling of the Constitution in his unsuccessful fight against terror? What else can explain the unchecked rise of executive power in our country today? We need a leader who is not afraid to admit a mistake. After six years of hell, it’s the least we can expect.