Citizen's Empire: On Greatness

On Greatness

Bill Clinton once lamented that he wished the 9/11 terrorist attacks would have occurred during his presidency. He longed for the responsibility to lead a response to crisis, because he understood great leaders are not remebmered for their actions in good times, rather for how they respond to disaster or hardship. In examining the responses of Lincoln to the succession of the South, Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Great Depression and the Rise of Hitler, and the response fo George W. Bush to 9/11 and Katrina we that the greatness of a politcal leader delpends more on his or her success in responsing to crisis than in inherent skill, ability or overal likeability.

Lincoln came from a humble background and was not known for his brilliance or greatness. He was not a decorated war hero or celebrated scholar, rather a straight shooting common man with just enough support to squeeze out the electoral votes for reelection. While he was a strong orator it wasn't his speeches that built him a monument in Washington, it was a decisive response to crisis. When Congress finally outlawed slavery bringing the American reality in line with her ideals the southern states attempted to secede from the union, form a confederacy and continue carrying out their traditional racial divides. Some presidents may have backed down, others may have made concessions and sought compromise, but not Abe Lincoln. The battles were particularly bloody, often pitting brother against brother in the battlefield. The cost was high, with more American deaths than any other conflict, yet in the end, Abe Lincoln has been remembered as a great leader, honored with a monument in Washington, D.C., his image on the 5 dollar bill and penny, and a legacy of preserving the naition nd ending the evil of slavery once and for all. It was not his oratory talent, or peace time rule with modest approval ratings, but his decisive response to disaster for which he is commemorated.

Franklin roosevelt was another president who proved his political greatness in his response to the Great Depression and the attack on Pearl Harbor. A somewhat soft fellow fighting polio and eventually confined to a wheel chair doesn't sound like the description for a great political leader. At the time, great lengths were taken to hide such a reality from the public. However, Franklin Roosevelt's actions earned him four election victories, triumph over Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, and the legacy of a nation responsible for 40% of the world's economic output. FDR inherited the presidency at a time when our financial system was in total collapse. Our farms were failing, our banks were closing, our markets had bust, the workers were unemployed and the people were destitute. While his predecessor lead by a state of denial, allowing for a prolonged free-fall, FDR swiftly moved to restore hope. His weekly fireside chat radio broadcasts eased the public's anxiety while his aggressive public works programs and his creation of social security all helped to ease panic while wisely keeping our nation both productive and secure. While he attempted to keep us out of Europe's squabbles, the attack on Pearl Harbor by Imperial Japan galvanized public support for out enterance into WWII.

America helped quickly change the momentum of the war, pushing back Germany from the French coast to rin, crushing Mousalini, and eventually Hitler while setting the stage for Japan's defeat in the Pacific Hemisphere. The war machine put all to work while our factories produced more innovative products faster than ever before. Meanwhile, our competitors were flattened as the American mainlands remained unscathed. FDR modernized our nation, defending our cities and the people of Europe from fascism, transforming a failed economy into an unprecedented economic juggernaut and world super-power.

The presidency of George W. Bush shows that challenge alone does not secure percieved political greatness. While the 9/11 attacks brought the American people closely together and earned him high approval ratings early in his presidency, his lack of diplomatic tact and cowboy self-image damaged American people on behalf of a narrow click of staunch supporters inside the military industrial complex certain to make fortunes by war. While a response to terror was required,, and our initial invasion of Taliban Afghanistan a multi-national success, our mission in Iraq was misdirected from the start, sold to the public on a false pre-tense, carried out sloppily, diverting resouces and focus from Afghanistan, jeapordizing our mission to defeat both the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. What shold have been a quick liberation by more competant leadership became a challenging quagmire as their inability to involve Turkey, allow for Saddam loyalists to flee into the Sunni Triangle while the foolish disbanding of the military guaranteed an insurgency. Drafting a parliamentry consittutiona s opposed to a confederated nation with three distinct states for the distinct ethnic groups, doomed the young democracy to politicla gridlock and civil war. While time and the wise leadership of Robert Gates helped the situation to approve the whole ordeal was six years longer than it should have been and is likely the reason the Taliban has yet to be defeated. The disaster in Lousiana, during Huricane Katrina further destroyed the legacy of of Bush as a botched Government response lead to 10,000 deaths tunring the thunderdome to a horror dome where poor Africna American communities were broadcast to the nation in concentration camp like conditions stigmatizing fema as a failure and prompting paranoia and fear about an improtant disaster response unit. The final guagh was the burst in a real estate bubble proping up our economy and financing the lifestyles of the American middle class. For George Bush, the challenges were there, but aside from the cooky evangelical right and cowboy hat wearing Texans its hard to imagine George Bush being remembered as a great political leader. His awkward prose and clumsy befumbling of immense opportunities smear his reputation leaving only a dark chapter in American history to his legacy.

No matter the president or politcal party, the lessons of history show that challenge alone is not enough to cement a legacy of greatness. To be remembered for greatness one must respond to challenge with skill and ability that drive results. Whether it was George Washington or Ronald Reagan, these leadres are rememberd as great because they succeeded in the face of adversity, freeing us from tryanny and defending us from communism. President Obama has been charged with the difficult task of clening up George Bush's mess. He must be reminded that merely responding to the housing crisis, escalating our role in Afghanistan and ending the war in Iraq will not guarantee greatness. Ending the housing crisis, defeating al-Qaeda and leaving functional governance across the Middle East while restoring the American Dream for working people and the middle class will ensure his name a celebrated place in the history books of the future.