Weakness Breeds Contempt

Leadership is more art than science. I have been in business meetings where the attendees had not previously met. In a very short time one person will show a higher level of leadership than the rest. With no vote. With no discussion. Usually, with no dissent, that person is in charge. 

Some people are just natural leaders. They don the mantle without thought or intent. They can think on their feet and come to decisions quickly. They do not bully, they persuade. They reason things out and are able to explain their reasoning. They reach for a consensus and do it with good humor.

We, unfortunately, have a President that is a bully at home and Casper Milquetoast abroad. On Obamacare, he did not seek a consensus with the Republicans. He, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid shut the Republicans out of the process entirely. In a State of the Union speech, he publicly insulted the Supreme Court because he was angry and he had the "Bully Pulpit" The justices could not respond.

He has unconstitutionally told the Congress that they must do his bidding or he will go around them. His administration has illegally used the IRS to stifle dissenting voices. His Department of Justice refuses to see terrorism where it exists and has stopped a criminal investigation into Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for corruption. I say, guilty of domestic bullying in the first degree.

Meanwhile, in other parts of the world he is seen as weak and indecisive. Starting his term in office with a world apology tour, bowing before foreign heads of state was not an auspicious beginning. Constant drawing and redrawing lines in the sand, fearful that they may be crossed, did not show intestinal fortitude. His courageous stand of leading from behind did not raise him up in the estimation of a harsh world.

He is a condescending globalist in a world of intense nationalists. World leaders of every stripe want the world to see their countries as great, strong, and wonderful. I fear that our President wants to dim the lights on "the shining city on the hill", and turn us into just one among many.

The world is in more turmoil today than it has been in decades. This is largely because leaders in aggressive governments see us as weak and unable or unwilling to respond. That has never been the American Way. It is now. I hope this is a temporary aberration. The world needs a strong, fair, involved America. We are still a young country. We have been damaged but we can recover if we get back on the right path. Soon, I hope.