Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Dissapointment, But Not Shock
You know, watching President Bush's press conference this evening, I was struck by something. He was asked numerous times and in a couple of different ways whether he's made any mistakes or in reflection whether he would do anything different. He said that he couldn't think of anything. I didn't have a ton of problems with that. Admitting mistakes, especially in an election year, never serves you well, it only serves your opponents ad campaigns later.
The problem I had was when Bush was asked if he felt any responsibility for 9/11... he said no. In fact, not only did he not take responsibility, but he said that Osama Bin Laden was responsible. It's true that Bin Laden's men attacked the United States, but how could he, as President, not feel some sense of responsibility. It's not that I feel that he could have done something about the attacks...I feel like no one in this country could have imagined that someone would have the gall to attack us on our home turf... but that as President of the United States, the man responsible for everything that happens in this country under his watch, would throw off responsibility for this attack.
He is the man who is supposed to protect us, he's supposed to shepard our country through good times and bad and take responsibility for being in charge whatever might happen. To not take responsibility makes him seem like a much weaker president to me (which I didn't think possible considering my feelings for him in the first place).
It's a question of maturity and leadership. A leader takes responsibility, apparently a politician does not. This raises the question; can a politician these days really be a leader?
The problem I had was when Bush was asked if he felt any responsibility for 9/11... he said no. In fact, not only did he not take responsibility, but he said that Osama Bin Laden was responsible. It's true that Bin Laden's men attacked the United States, but how could he, as President, not feel some sense of responsibility. It's not that I feel that he could have done something about the attacks...I feel like no one in this country could have imagined that someone would have the gall to attack us on our home turf... but that as President of the United States, the man responsible for everything that happens in this country under his watch, would throw off responsibility for this attack.
He is the man who is supposed to protect us, he's supposed to shepard our country through good times and bad and take responsibility for being in charge whatever might happen. To not take responsibility makes him seem like a much weaker president to me (which I didn't think possible considering my feelings for him in the first place).
It's a question of maturity and leadership. A leader takes responsibility, apparently a politician does not. This raises the question; can a politician these days really be a leader?
