Bunker Mulligan "Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~Mark Twain

When President Bush authorized the invasion of Afghanistan, a significant majority of Americans supported the decision. When he did the same in Iraq, he still had the majority behind him, although not in as great a number.

Some people equate leadership on the international scene to the ability to get the leaders of other countries to go along. That’s not leadership. It’s diplomacy. Bill Clinton was pretty good at that. But remember, he couldn’t get the UN to agree to an invasion of Kosovo. Instead, he used NATO, where France has no voice in military decisions.

Clinton showed no leadership in many things. He was a follower, heeding the whims of his constituency. That made him very popular. And popularity was more important to him than leading.

When Bush decided to ignore Germany, France, and Russia and oust Saddam Hussein, he took a tremendous political risk. People tend to forget that. Fact. He had no real idea how bad it might turn out, although the final result was assured. A huge refugee crisis was predicted. There were expectations Hussein might throw missiles at Israel as he did in 1991, this time tipped with nasty things. He might fire a barrage of chemical artillery weapons at our troops, or set off massive biological contamination when it was obvious he was defeated. This was a legitimate concern. When I went to Kuwait last May, we were issued chemical warfare clothing and the soldiers at Arifjan had been alerted many times prior to our arrival.

With all these unknowns, Bush took the risk because it was necessary. Leadership.

John Podhoretz believes Bush is still doing it:

In other words, he is betting his presidency on the soundness of his approach and its prospects for success.

My impression of Bush intially was that he was more interested in doing what is right whether he got reelected or not. It is a bold stand for a politician. Few consider doing what is right in an election year, banking on popularity to get reelected. We see this in Kerry, who says what he feels he needs to say to the audience at hand. Clinton was a master at it, but Kerry can’t pull it off.

Bush doesn’t even attempt to do it, and that’s what makes him a leader.

The President’s speech was not one of his best. He did have a tough audience, though. The Army War College students are all lieutenant colonels selected for promotion, or colonels. The one-year program of full-time study is a PhD program in international relations and history, combined with contemporary topics linking to the periphery of those two themes. Bush had a few applause lines that went unapplauded, and his tempo never really clicked. People think the military is a giant Bush fan club, eager to affirm their support. But those folks at Carlisle last night showed that the military expects results, not just talk. Rhetoric is cheap. John Kerry should pay attention.

There is a significant difference between a Republican giving a speech and a Democrat giving one. And it goes to the heart of how the two groups differ. Bush gave a typical Republican speech last night. He talked about what is happening in Iraq, and what needs to happen to improve things. He said nothing bad about Democrats in general, or any of his critics in particular. He gave specifics on what will be done to fix problems.

Democrats are difficult to listen to, unless you happen to be a true believer. They will speak ill of everyone else. They will complain about every problem–real or perceived. They will suggest steps required to solve the problems, but it will be in the most general terms and usually include more spending. But the most distinguishing feature of a Democratic speech is the delivery. It matters little how many microphones are in front, Democrats feel the need to scream. You can always tell when they are making their most important points because they start low and continue to build until they are pounding the podium, waving their arms, and yelling out the end of the sentence in a high-pitched whine. And the crowd responds, “AMEN!” For all the talk of how “Bush is Hitler,” watch Hillary next time she gives a speech to the faithful. The resemblance is amazing.

Those of you who lean left will say I’ve generalized. Perhaps. But pay attention with an open mind next time you listen to speeches and decide whether or not I’m right based on what you then see, not what you now believe.