January 31, 2008
Leadership is Fracking Hard
Three weeks ago I watched Ghosts of Abu Ghraib yesterday at UUC.
After watching this film I am embarrassed to be an American.
I desperately want to disown this, to say that this was Not done in My Name. I am convinced that this is not the appropriate or correct position to take. Doing this allows government to be divorced from its rightful owners, the people.
I clearly see this as a failure of leadership, the always ultimately starts at the top, or the bottom. (The top of an organization is selected by the bottom of the organization.)
I was struck last night watching the the first episode of the second season of Battlestar Galactica how easy it is to vilify a leader faced with a tough choice. Thinking to Wil Wheaton's assertion that the whole first season of Battlestar Galactica is about September 11th, this disturbs my beliefs on George W. Bush.
I've considered the guy quite close to pure evil.
The problem with this is that I know that leadership is never that black and white. It is just as wrong to say that a leader is completely right as it is to say that a leader is completely wrong.
So I'm stuck needing to find redeeming qualities of George W. Bush. I would put his best quality is commitment to his chosen action.
Ultimately history will sort this one out, although I'm quite sure both hardcore Republicans and hardcore Democrats will both be wrong.