At a recent event in Missouri Vice President Dick Cheney questioned whether Sen. John Kerry could lead as president. Based on Kerry's past experience it's difficult to believe he couldn't or wouldn't be a good leader.
The question, however, is why can't Bush or Cheney lead. It is ironic that Cheney would question whether another person could lead considering how he and George Bush seemed to have made a conscious effort not to lead.
Leadership involves showing the capacity or ability to lead, in short, getting others to follow you because they believe in you or your efforts. The Bush administration has taken a "follow or else" attitude to the country and world, and to those who disagree the administration has either attacked or ignored, basically saying "who cares what you think."
As a result the administration has trouble building coalitions. In Iraq they put together the "Coalition of the Billing," a group of countries who wanted to either get in the good graces of the Bush Administration or participate in the spoils of war (i.e. rebuilding Iraq). Countries such as Spain and Honduras apparently have decided its not worth it and are leaving. Friendly countries like Australia are declining to send additional troops.
In his acceptance speech in August 2000, Bush kept saying that the Clinton/Gore team had their chance to lead but didn't, but that they would. Instead, rather than led Bush & Cheney have bullied and scared people in going along with them in an attempt to keep them out of trouble. A type of Eddie Haskell diplomacy.
The question is why voters are snowed by this act. As a TV LAND review wrote "Eddie Haskell is nothing short of an operator. He's all talk and attitude - in other words, a real creep. Eddie's the kind of guy that everyone sees through, except Eddie."
Bush and Cheney are much the same way, except for some reason people are buying it. Like a bull in a china shop, Bush has made a mess, but rather than open the door and force him out too many voters appear to want to keep him in the shop with the belief that once the mess is cleaned up the shop will look better. Maybe they should consider instead what additional damage he could and will do.
