Says Who?

I saw thousands of sheep on my recent trip to the Highlands of Scotland. Most were just grazing on the hillsides. A few were being herded, by border collies, men or both.

If I had more time I would have stopped and asked them if they really wanted to be herded to the slaughterhouse. They, of course, didn’t get to pick their leaders.

I had thought we were different. I thought we picked our leader November last. Apparently I was mistaken.

President Obama is an accomplished academic. He is an accomplished speaker. He has many attributes but he is not a leader. He may see himself as such, or he may not but he is not.

He knew how to select an outstanding team of campaigners. He does not know how to select a team of governing advisers. He relied on the conventional wisdom in picking a staff and cabinet. Conventional wisdom is what is responsible for our current predicament on a broad range of issues.

He selected Rahm Emanuel to lead his political efforts. Rahm is a right-of-center DINO. He might be acceptable if he were given specific direction, rather than being given his head. Given the latitude to operate as he sees fit, it is becoming more and more apparent that he has taken this administration to a point barely distinguishable from the previous one.

During this administration’s tenure there have been over 500 visits to the White House by the powers-that-be of the health industry. His staff is rife with people from that industry. So, we have not gotten the promised healthcare reform. And, we will not get it. The bills being considered by the Congress are best described as health insurance reform; reform that significantly enriches that industry.

The health industry, aside from perhaps 59% of the physicians, have no interest in your health, only your money. Where is the reform? Where is the relief from increased costs in the most expensive system ever devised? Where is the longer life expectancy, the lower infant mortality, the next miracle drug when Viagra’s patent expires?

Even more than the case with healthcare the President has cast his lot with the thieves who created our economic difficultlies. He has given free rein to those who have impoverished us while feathering their own nests. Who leads his economic team? Larry Summers, the fired President of Harvard who ignored warnings and cost that university’s endowment $1.8 billion. And that was not even the reason for which he was fired.

How about killing our kids? Sending 30,000 more targets to Afghanistan will not provide a “win.” The costs of Iraq and Afghanistan would have more than paid for real healthcare reform. Money spent on unnecessary wars enrich the military-industrial complex and impoverish the nation.

Out of about five million votes in the recent Afghani election 1.3 million had to be thrown out. It would not be unreasonable to think that even more votes were of questionable provenance. To protect, defend and depend upon such a discredited group of warlords and drug dealers seems less than advisable. The people of that benighted conglomeration of fiefdoms see us as invaders and occupiers. Will they respond by spreading palm leaves in the path of an additional 30,000 foreign invaders, bedecking the 30,000 additional occupiers with leis?

Has any active military field commander ever wanted fewer troops? Has any military commander ever admitted they could not win? Has any military commander ever declared that there was nothing to win? No, but let’s abdicate leadership and let the professionals convince us they can destroy the Viet Cong Taliban if only they had another twelve million men, 403 more years and no interference from our elected leaders.

I just saw the headline: Karl Rove On Obama Plan: ‘Stand Up And Applaud.’ At least some people are pleased with Obama’s leadership.

The polls say that the economy is the number one issue for the country. With more than 15 million unemployed, it is no surprise that jobs constitute the primary concern of most people. So, what have these titans of Wall Street designed for us? Well, there was the stimulus package. So far, $100 billion of that $787 billion has been spent. Oh, they also handed out $90 billion in tax refunds. Leaderless incompetence – the Daily Double.

I was one of those that had hope. I voted for change. Silly me.

When we, as a country, are headed in the wrong direction, we don’t magically come to some unanimous conclusion as to which way to turn to avoid disaster. We have to depend on a leader to show us the way. But what happens when the leader quits (are there any Sarah fans out there to explain this to us)? What happens when the ones who led us (sold us) down the road are richly rewarded for their avarice and hubris and kept in those same positions? Would you believe that they failed to experience a teachable moment? Would you believe they continued down the path that had proven so rewarding to them?

People put themselves forward for the presidency for various reasons. Some do it simply out of ambition. Others have some agenda to promote. Some because they thought daddy was entitled to a second term. No one wants to be president because they think it is easy. Few who seek the office are really qualified. The position requires several attributes. The primary one should be leadership, particularly in troubled times.

Maybe leaders are born, not made. I hope that is not necessarily the case. But, ironically, hope is all we have.

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