Leadership 101 – Not

1. If I understand the gibberish emerging from the robotic right, they see no big deal with the Iraqi prisons. The line of “reasoning” is short and it goes like this all over the TV/radio/print media: “Compared to 9/11, this is small potatoes – get over it liberals, Rumsfeld isn’t going anywhere.”

Analysis: I get it – it doesn’t matter what we do from now on, or what the subject matter is: As long as we compare it to 9/11, our actions as a country are always morally justified! I’m sure the rest of us and rest of the world will have no problem agreeing with that position, right?

2. Bush told Rumsfeld, “You are doing a superb job. You are a strong secretary of defense and our nation owes you a debt of gratitude.”

Analysis: For what? Mangling our military morale? Severely damaging its effectiveness? Ruining the stability and readiness of the Reserves and National Guard? Displaying a singular lack of operational (and moral) leadership? Not knowing (or not admitting knowing) about the most despicable behavior since My Lai? Shall I go on?

3. First lady Laura Bush said Monday her husband is "very anguished" over the issue. "To be perfectly frank, I can't bear to look at the ones (pictures) that have been in the newspaper," she said on ABC's Good Morning America.

Analysis: Guess what Mrs. Bush, we can’t bear to look at them either. Do you happen to know anybody who might be responsible for setting the “moral” tone for this country? That “morality” has come back to bite us, in spades.

4. “Bush sees indications of waning public confidence in his senior military ranks and declining credibility abroad.”

Analysis: Wow, what depth of insight. How did he come to those conclusions - by reading body language? We may have to revise his governing IQ from zero up to 10 (out of 100). But, maybe such praise is premature - he and his advisors aren’t even smart enough to know that they could have taken a good chunk of the heat off of themselves, even in the past couple of days, by firing Rumsfeld and Gen Myers and tearing down the prison - along with starting aggressive but fair investigations of the people involved, including the officers responsible, up the chain of command.

But then again, we are talking about real leadership here, and Mr. Bush doesn’t get the concept. He doesn’t understand leadership, accountability, or responsibility – or the scope of what Abu Ghraib is all about and its effects on our military, our country, and the rest of the world, now and in the future.