Is this how a "statesman" acts? Or is this a frat boy at a kegger?
David Axelrod responded to Dick Cheney's recent criticism of President Obama Sunday on CNN's State of the Union.
"[President Bush] has behaved like a statesman," Axelrod told John King, "I just don't think the memo got passed on to the Vice President [Cheney]."
Axelrod disagreed with Cheney's assertion that Obama's terrorism policies were failing.
"I find it supremely ironic, on a day when we were meeting with NATO, to talk about the continued threat from al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where they're still plotting against us eight years -- or seven years later," he said. "I think the question for Mr. Cheney is, how could that be? How could this have gone so long? Why are they still in business?"
Hey Dave! I don't think Obama got the memo either as he has been parading around Europe blaming America for the world's problems, calling us "arrogant" and genuinely acting like frat boy on a road trip.
I think Axelrod needs to be reminded of what "statesman" means.
A statesman or stateswoman or statesperson is usually a politician or other notable figure of state who has had a long and respected career in politics at the national and international level.
As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term. When politicians retire, they are often referred to as elder statesmen.
Statespersonship also conveys a quality of leadership that organically brings people together and of eldership, a spirit of caring for others and for the whole.
Anyone elected to office is a politician but only a few consistently manage to work as disinterested promoters of the public good with integrity. There is a huge difference between the two.
The words statesman or stateswoman are applied loosely to any head of state, any senior political figure, or anyone who in a given moment exhibits a certain quality of "statespersonship."
Cheney has served our country for decades and is far more of a "statesman" than Obama will ever be.
Imagine if after 9/11 Clinton had been all over Bush talking about how Bush had made America less safe in his policies etc etc. This is what Dick Cheney is doing.
ReplyDelete"Statespersonship also conveys a quality of leadership that organically brings people together and of eldership, a spirit of caring for others and for the whole."
War Criminal: Grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, such as:
1. Willful killing, or causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health
2. Torture or inhumane treatment
3. Unlawful wanton destruction or appropriation of property
4. Forcing a prisoner of war to serve in the forces of a hostile power
5. Depriving a prisoner of war of a fair trial
Wasn't it also Cheney that said "deficits don't matter
He is not a statesman, he is a war criminal, and should spend the rest of his life behind bars.