It's Hard Work; In that phrase, Bush encapsulated for the American people precisely the problem with his governance: he is in over his head. Way over his head.
By Stephen Dinan
For all those
who began tonight's debate with low expectations for President
Bush, the results were a surprise: he performed even worse than most
could have imagined. Beyond the repetition of a few key phrases that
Karl Rove had obviously made sure he was supposed to emphasize, Bush
bumbled through most questions, returning to the drum beat that
threaded throughout his talk: "It's hard work."
Hard work, indeed. It is hard work to be saddled with the
complexities of governing the most powerful nation in the world. It
is hard work to deal with the nuances of diplomacy and coalition
building. It is hard work to admit mistakes and change direction
based on changes in the geopolitical landscape.
"It's hard work." In that phrase, Bush encapsulated for the
American people precisely the problem with his governance: he is in
over his head. Way over his head. He has never been a smart
man, nor a particular talented one. He is banking on one thing
alone: a bulldog-like tenacity to cling to his opinion as the truth,
no matter what new information arrives. That, he believes, is
what it takes to be President. That is what can lead us to greatness
as a country: fixity of opinion.
Fixity of opinion may work for a football lineman. But it
doesn't work for the head of the most powerful nation on earth.
Fixity of opinion may work in an emergency situation but it
doesn't allow one to move strategically in a more complex world.
That is why Bush needed, again and again in the debate, to
simplify foreign policy to "us" versus the "enemy" lumping
Iraq and Osama bin Laden together. That is why he said
multiple times that we must always be on the offense and never
waver.
Fixity of opinion is a way for a man who is in over his head to make
sense of a complex world. It reduces shades of gray to black and
white. Either you're with us or you're with the enemy.
Either you're an ally or you're an enemy. There are
moments, of course, when black or white is called for. At
those moments, Bush's capacities may allow him to do an adequate
job. But in all those areas where a more sophisticated understanding
is called for, black and white will not suffice.
In a way I felt compassion for him. It IS challenging to be in
over your heard and out of your league. I don't blame him
for clinging to the life preserver of surety. I can almost see
him pep-talking himself in the morning mirror: "you've got to
look strong and presidential. Never give an inch. Be
firm. Always attack."
In Bush's desire to be seen as resolute, he made it clear in the
debate he was not open to changing his ways or admitting errors.
His paramount goal, as he stated it, was to not send mixed
messages to the troops, to terrorists, or to the world. As
Kerry countered, the main worry about the President is that you can
also be sure of yourself and be wrong.
The irony of Bush's repeated theme was that he was anything but
resolute in his presence. He stumbled over words, answered
questions off topic, meandered, fell into silence. During
Kerry's answers, his eyes darted like a cornered animal and he
hunched over the podium, clearly uncomfortable. Because Bush is
trapped in black or white thinking to cope with a job that is over
his head, he cannot build bridges to other countries. Diplomacy
takes a certain amount of grace, collegiality, and tact. He is
blunt, aggressive, and dismissive.
Kerry, by contrast, presented himself in a persuasive, commanding,
and presidential way, far better than I would have imagined. I
have not been a huge fan until this debate but Kerry convinced me
with the clarity in his thoughts, the power of his convictions and
his command of facts, figures, and nuance, that he has the capacity
to lead in a powerful, resolute way that is open to change when
change is called for.
In the debate, Kerry was methodical and powerful. He took
notes and spoke unerringly, with an outstanding command of language,
policy, and nuance. He attacked the president's record while
honoring him as a man. He made clear that he would chart a
different course. And he made brilliant tactical maneuvers,
like citing Bush's father about never entering Iraq without an
exit strategy.
At the end of the debate, I felt one thing with great certainty.
If this nation does elect Kerry as our next president, we
would not see him in four years repeating over and over, "It's
hard work." He would do the job with every ounce of his capacity
and I feel much more confident that he would meet those challenges,
with a resolute but open and intelligent stance towards the rest of
the world.
Kerry is what we need to redeem America's sullied reputation in
the world. George Bush has confessed to the American people
the truth: he just doesn't have what it takes to do the job.
"It's hard work," indeed.
Stephen Dinan stephen@radicalspirit.org
is author of Radical Spirit (New World Library, 2002), and founder
of TCN, Inc. Stephen directed and helped to create the Esalen
Institute's Center for Theory & Research, a think tank for
leading scholars, researchers, and teachers to explore human
potential frontiers. Currently, he is a marketing consultant for a
number of startups, political action groups, and non-profits and
runs workshops through the Radical Spirit Community. For a
full archive of his articles, visit www.stephendinan.com
