Friday, July 1, 2011

Lead, Follow, or Get the Hell Out of the Way

Obama's leadership strategy seems to be the same in most major issues. He has enough presence to be a factor, but rarely shows insight, strategy, or good judgment. Obama also works hard to cut out any figure who might garner more attention than he does.

We see this in foreign affairs. Under George W. Bush and his predecessor, the Secretary of State truly represented the foreign policy of the nation. Rice and Albright obviously had the confidence of their bosses and were part of major deals in our diplomacy. Hillary Clinton has been a figure of neglect and ridicule; her most recent achievement being the scheduling of a Lady Gaga concert. However, Obama's foreign policy has been one of confusing drift. He alienates allies while blundering into wars with no explanation.

Obama's main concern with the debt issue appears to be whether or not he wins a political battle. He has expanded the debt considerably. This issue by itself has undermined public confidence in Democratic leadership. Interestingly, a CNN reporter recently asked him about his predictions of doom if the debt ceiling were not raised by a certain day. Many such days have passed and we're still here spending too much money. His attempt at leadership was to compare Congress to his children, saying that they were disciplined and got their homework done on time.

Sorry, Obama, the issue of national debt, the interests of the people, and the future of this nation is of more importance than your daughter's math homework. It takes more time. And for the president to refer to Congress in this way really betrays his mindset. He is a paternalist with a desire to control. Luckily, he lacks political ability and competence, or we'd be in a lot more trouble.

In any event, he needs replaced. I am surprised there is no Democratic challenger yet.

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