Thoughts on Leadership
From Bill Clinton to George “Dubya” (what a stupid name) Federal to state to local, we have all watched the and read about 1 thing, Our Government do little but lie cheat, steal, filibuster, re-count, or be undecided, so my question is, Why aren’t we demanding better leadership? If you can even call this leadership at all?
Both Parties in office are to blame for this; both democrats and republicans do very little but argue, point the finger, and waste American tax dollars. They accomplish nothing for the Common good; if you can say there is a common good any more.
What ever happened to TRUE leaders, ones with Decisiveness, judgment, knowledge, tact, justice, and the ability to rally an entire nation to one cause?
Right now, we have no one like this; all we have are weasel politicians who waste our time and money.
The Republicans insist on wasting time with irrelevant issues like the Shrivo case in Florida. And doing anything they can to weaken the other party, as well as suppression of Homosexuality.
The Democrats waste time viding for any little power they can gain, and trying to denounce any decision the Republicans make.
What’s worse is how no one seems to care. CNN would rather report about some runaway bride, than report on just how rotten our government has become, Fox news is so bias, you can’t really trust much of what they say, it seems the media is powerless to help, mostly because no one cares.
I believe some one needs to take a stand here.
This has been my thought on leadership.
Mr. Jack
Trodsky Says: May 24th, 2005 at 6:02 pm
Go ahead Jacky boy make your stand. Just remember… Your unqiue and special, just like eveyr other snowflake…
Anna Says: May 24th, 2005 at 9:21 pm
Jack,
I don’t understand what you mean. Let’s have a look at W’s record of leadership. I think it speaks for itself.
Arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. W pled guilty, paid a fine, and had his driver’s license suspended for 30 days. His Texas driving record has been “lost” and is not available.
MILITARY: He joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. He refused to take a drug test or answer any questions about drug use. By joining the Texas Air
National Guard, he was able to avoid combat duty inVietnam.
He produced a Hollywood slasher B movie.
He ran for US Congress and lost.
He began his business career in the oil business in Midland, Texas in 1975. Bought an oil company, but couldn’t find any oil in Texas. The company went bankrupt shortly after he sold all of his stock.
He bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that used taxpayer money to build him a stadium.
Traded Sammy Sosa to the Chicago White Sox.
With the help of his father and our right-wing friends in the oil industry (including Enron CEO Ken Lay), he was elected Governor of Texas.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR:
He changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the Union.
During his tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America.
He cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in borrowed money.
Set the record for the most executions by any Governor in American history.
With the help of his brother, the Governor of Florida, and his father’s appointments to the Supreme Court, he became President after losing by over 500,000 votes.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:
First President in US history to enter office with criminal record.
The first president in US history to order an unprovoked, preemptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation.
Effectively bankrupted the US Treasury.
Shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in US history.
Set the all-time record for biggest annual budget spending increases, more than any President in US history.
First President in US history to have all 50 states of the Union simultaneously go technically bankrupt.
Set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period.
Set the all-time record for most days on vacation by a sitting president in any one year period.
After taking-off the entire month of August, he presided over the worst security failure in U.S.history.
He supported development of a nuclear “Tactical Bunker Buster,” a WMD.
In a State Of The Union Address, he lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq, and then blamed the lies on our British friends.
He set the record for most campaign fundraising trips by a US president.
He has spent more money on polls and focus groups than any President in US history.
He cut unemployment benefits for more out of work Americans than any President in US history.
He set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period.
He set the record for least amount of press conferences than any president since the advent of television.
He presided over the biggest energy crisis in US history and refused to intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed.
He cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families — in war time.
He set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest any individual in public venues (15 million people) shattering the record for protest against any person in the history of mankind.
He broke more international treaties than any president in US history.
He signed more laws and executive orders amending the Constitution than any President in US history.
He removed more freedoms and civil liberties for Americans than any other President in US history.
In a little over two years he created the most divided country in decades, possibly the most divided the US has ever been since the Civil War.
He removed more checks and balances, and ahs had the least amount of Congressional oversight, than any Presidential administration in US history.
The members of his cabinet are the richest of any administration in US history. My “poorest millionaire,” Condoleeza Rice, has a Chevron oil tanker named after her.
He created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the history of the United States government.
The first president in US history to provoke the United Nations into removing the US from the Human Rights Commission.
He refused to allow inspectors access to US prisoners of war (”detainees”) and thereby refused to abide by the Geneva Convention.
He is the all-time US and world record-holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations.
He presided over the biggest corporate stock market fraud of any market in any country in the history of the world.
His largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of his best friends, Kenneth Lay, presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in US history. His political party used the Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to assure his success with the US Supreme Court during my election decision. He protected my friends at Enron and Halliburton against investigation or prosecution. More time and money was spent investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair than has been spent investigating one of the biggest corporate corruption case in history.
After a worldwide outpouring of sympathy for the US after the World Trade Center attacks has managed to make the US the most hated country in the world. The largest failure of diplomacy in world history.
He is the first president in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view his presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security.
He is the first US president in history to have the people of South Korea more threatened by the US than their immediate neighbor, North Korea.
He changed the US policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.
He set all-time record for number of administration appointees who violated US law by not selling huge investments in corporations bidding for government contracts.
He has appointed more convicted criminals to administration positions than any President in US history.
He has so far failed to fulfill his solemn pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden and to justice.
Anyone remember the anthrax killer who tried to murder the leaders of our country at the United States Capitol building?
All records of his tenure as Governor of Texas are now in his father’s library, sealed, and unavailable for public view.
All records of SEC investigations into his insider trading and his bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.
All records or minutes from meetings that he, or his Vice-president, attended regarding PUBLIC energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review.
bonniem Says: May 24th, 2005 at 10:21 pm
Anna, I hate to be the one to tell you, but you are way off base on at least about half of the above. Do you live in Texas? Who said his driving record is sealed along with all his other records being sealed. Where are you getting this stuff? From The Democrats?
Mr. Jack Says: May 25th, 2005 at 12:01 am
Jacky boy? are you serious? I thought I was talking to open minde mature adults, not childish dumkauphs.
Sriram Says: May 25th, 2005 at 12:27 am
Anna, I hope u r not plagiarizing some Internet material that was created during election time?
bonniem Says: May 25th, 2005 at 1:07 pm
anna, got a little more time this morning so I will pick one of your misstatements above to explain to you. The city where the baseball stadium was built, voted to add a sales tax in order to pay for that stadium and have now done the same thing to pay for a football stadium for the cowboys. Those venues bring in much money and many jobs to that city. So what if his administration is rich! You want someone off welfare rolls to be appointed to those positions? I can’t believe how jealous some people are of rich people. Hon, if you got the guts and knowledge and intellegence and can stand the heat, get out there and make you some money. Frankly, I will just keep my simple life and not fret the big stuff. Again I say, most of the stuff you list above is strictly a bunch of hooey and I don’t think you are doing any verifying on the statements you have made.
Anna Says: May 25th, 2005 at 2:44 pm
Bonniem,
You missed the point. I am not anti-wealth. I am anti-aristocracy. First, Bush has been a failure at everything he has done. Yet at every turn Bush’s philosophy favors those who inherit wealth over those who work for a living or who earn their wealth. Like Bush, I made some extraordinary prenatal investments and have enjoyed extreme advantage as a result. But at least I know I didn’t earn it and I know that I owe my society dearly for what they (those on whose shoulders my family has stood) have enabled my family to obtain. I believe in myself and I believe that it is fine to redistribute outrageous wealth rather than just pass it along through inheritance. I believe in competition too. The game should be organized to promote competition. Aristocracy is anti-competitive. Should the Chicago Bulls get to keep all of the points that Michael Jordan scored in the past and carry them over to future seasons? Should Carl Lewis’s children be allowed to participate in the olympics because their father earned the right to go? A person should be respected for their own accomplishments, not the accomplishments of their parents or grandparents. The same is true in the case of wealth in my opinion. Warren Buffet and Bill Gates agree with me, by the way. Read what George Washington said about inheritance and aristocracy.
pizz Says: May 30th, 2005 at 4:34 am
Anna, you sound just a little bias (try focusing on the facts). Maybe now you can list some on Clintons shortfalls to be fair. If your familiar with Clintons history I’d bet your up all night typing.
Zach Says: June 2nd, 2005 at 2:20 am
Anna, First off, Bush did not attack Iraq or Afghanistan without provocation. Second, Bush had Legit reasons to attack these to nations, Afghanistan for habouring Al-Queda and not taking any measures to bring Osama to justice. Iraq, we attacked because Saddam was a clear and present danger to the mideast. He had biological weapons that he has used on his own citizens, and had nuclear weapons programs to build WMD. Get your facts straight lady.
Anna Says: June 2nd, 2005 at 1:29 pm
Zach,
If you still suffer from the illusion that Iraq was “a clear and present danger” to anyone, you are clearly and presently uninformed and confused on the issue. You are about 18 months behind the curve my man!
Zach Says: June 3rd, 2005 at 2:59 am
Iraq isn’t a clear and present danger now, that I have known ever since he was over thrown. What I’m saying is that when Saddam was in power, he was a threat to the Mideast since he had ties with terrorists and had missles capable of sending biological and chemical into Saudi Arabia, Isreal, Kuwait, Iran, etc. That’s what I meant, nothing else.
Anna Says: June 3rd, 2005 at 3:56 am
Zach,
Iraq is far more dangerous now than when Saddam was in power. The WMD story that Bush and company used to justify the war was fraudulent. Saddam was weak and was no threat to Iraq’s neighbors. Iran was poised to wipe Saddam off the face of the planet, that’s why Saddam was bluffing Iran, to hold them off for a while. About 20 years ago Saddam did have and use chemical weapons against the Kurds (he never considered the Kurds citizens, btw). After Gulf War 1 the remaining chemical weapons were systematically destroyed under the supervision of international inspectors. He never had biological or nuclear weapon capabilities. If you think he did, you better tell the Bush administration because they have been desperate for such information for several years now. Several hundred billions of dollars worth of effort have failed to turn up even a trace of evidence for WMDs in Iraq. And that pretty much settles that. So, you go get your facts together, Slim.
Zach Says: June 3rd, 2005 at 6:25 am
Aren’t you forgetting about the fact that during the Clinton era, Saddam has systematically violated all the UN resolutions, by thwarting inspectors and buying components off the black market?!?
pizz Says: June 4th, 2005 at 4:04 am
I think there should be a rule that you must be 18 to comment on this site.
Anna Says: June 4th, 2005 at 1:49 pm
Zach, Aren’t you forgetting that the stories about Saddam buying components off the black market were fabricated by Bush and company? Saddam was totally boxed in and his military was so weak that Kuwait could have over run Iraq in a week with 1 hand tied behind their backs. Iraq was absolutely no threat to any other country. It is as simple as that. If you think otherwise, you are misinformed.
Zach Says: June 5th, 2005 at 5:03 am
They weren’t….In Oct. 2003, Dr. Kay, the chief arms investigator clearly reported that covert attempts to obtain North Korean technology were clearly underway between 1999 and 2002. He even stated that documents and equipment that are useful in EMIS, or electromagnetic isotope separation, where hidden in scientists’ homes….That is evidence of Saddam’s attempts to create and basically destroy any traces of his WMD plans.
Suzanne Says: June 5th, 2005 at 6:31 am
I must agree with Anna, Iraq is more dangerous today than ever before.
I wonder how many different groups we now must deal with in Iraq? Any ideas,
Suzanne
Mr. Jack Says: June 5th, 2005 at 8:55 pm
Zach, those documents were false. The people who signed them had been dead for over 20 yrs, the head of the C.I.A told this to bush in one of his memos before the war began, but Bush sent the documents before the U.N as justification of the war anyway.
And if Saddam was a threat to us, how come the Iraqi capitol fell in 3 days, with most of U.S forces still deployed in Afghanistan?
The fact is, his army was militia grade quality at best, his tanks could barley move due to rust, he had no Air force, we made sure of that in the first gulf war.
leroidavid Says: June 6th, 2005 at 1:51 am
Why are you talking to Anna ? She is so totally disinformed that there is nothing to discuss with her. Maybe one day she will grow up and begin to think by herself. Till then, let her jabber.
Anna Says: June 6th, 2005 at 2:44 am
Zach,
You should go back and read the reports to the UN of Mohamed Elbaradei in February and March of 2003.
On March 7, 2003, he said:”Based on available evidence, the IAEA team has concluded that Iraq efforts to import these aluminum tubes were not likely to have been related to the manufacture of centrifuge, and moreover that it was highly unlikely that Iraq could have achieved the considerable redesign needed to use them in a revived centrifuge program . . .
The IAEA was able to review correspondence coming from various bodies of the government of Niger and to compare the form, format, contents and signature of that correspondence with those of the alleged procurement-related documentation.
Based on thorough analysis, the IAEA has concluded with the concurrence of outside experts that these documents which formed the basis for the report of recent uranium transaction between Iraq and Niger are in fact not authentic. We have therefore concluded that these specific allegations are unfounded. However, we will continue to follow up any additional evidence if it emerges relevant to efforts by Iraq to illicitly import nuclear materials.”
Compare that to what the Bush administration was telling people in the same period, and it is clear. Elbaradei was living in the real world. The US government and the US press was living in a fantasy land.
Anna Says: June 6th, 2005 at 2:49 am
Robert Parry summarized the Bush intelligence problem (pun intended) best when he said “Time and again, Bush and his administration have replaced the principle that good intelligence makes for good policy with the near-opposite approach: you start with a conclusion and then distort all available information to sell the pre-ordained policy to a gullible, ill-informed or frightened public. …
Unlike the fictional president in Tom Clancy’s “Sum of All Fears” – who was tricked into that “really bad information” – Bush and his team have actively sought out the bad information and assembled it as justification for going to war. This administration, which can sometimes be stranger-than-fiction, didn’t just peer into the fog of war. It set up the fog machine.”
Anna Says: June 6th, 2005 at 3:06 am
Leroidavid,
You haven’t said a single thing of substance since you came to this site. Do you have anything other than opinion to put on the table? Put a fact or a theory out there instead of just drivel. Here’s a little something for you to chew on. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8101422/site/newsweek/
andre hernandez Says: June 6th, 2005 at 5:15 pm
Ex The U.S government insists on bringing Red State vs. Blue State and Liberal vs. Conservative up to avoid accountability.They blame partisan politics not their lack of ethics and leadership skills when they are caught with their hands in the cookie jar or want to push theirs or their business associates agendas. The government in the U.S. is as corrupt as any in the world.A divided nation is easily deceived.Both sides are guilty.The United States has become Government for the Rich by the Rich.The wealthiest 5% of the population run the country.Until the Christian Extremists,Trailerpark folk and other people who disregard facts begin to read newspapers or watch the news we are doomed.
Zach Says: June 6th, 2005 at 7:55 pm
Okay, I can see your point on how Bush’s intelligence was bad, but I still believe that even though that Bush made up a reason on why we should go to war with Iraq, his motives were in the right direction, considering that he wanted to get rid of a dictator that terrorized his own civilians.
Anna Says: June 8th, 2005 at 3:20 am
Zach,
Four questions. When is it not OK for a president to mislead a country? (isn’t it pretty important for citizens to actually understand the real reasons that they are being lead into a war?) Should we invade and depose of all leaders of sovereign countries that we do not like or that have bad human rights records? (if you answer yes, we will be invading about 100 countries). Assuming that the citizens that we are liberating did not invite us to liberate them, how many of their innocent lives can we justify taking in order to get rid of the guy that we don’t like? (according to some experts, so far between 20,000 and 100,000 innocent iraqis have died as a direct result of the invasion). If the country that we liberate chooses to align itself with one of our sworn enemies (say, Iran, for example. The Iranian mullahs have developed closer ties with the new goverment of Iraq than the US has), would that create a bigger problem than the one we started with?
Mr. Jack Says: June 9th, 2005 at 4:30 am
Bush is a bully, he’ll act tough by taking on some one weaker then him like sudam, and call it good motive, but when it comes to the big boys who also terrorize their citizens, like Puten, and Kim jong il, he won’t even bother with them, it’s how bully’s operate