The Counter-deception Blog

(With apologies to Dennis Miller--from September 2002)

Frank J. Stech

Before we have another 11 September, somebody needs to rethink the White House spin on Leadership and the Global War on Terrorism. Dick Chaney probably would fund the work. Anything to get out of the cave he’s been forced to hide in since he had to “take charge” while POTUS, in an apparent (if not real) panic was staying out of Dodge (Washington and New York) all through 9-11, the first day of the global war on terrorism.

The day-long Air Force 1 excursion on 9-11, hauling “Dubya” from Florida, to Louisiana, to Nebraska, to protect the President from illusory threats was, well, a shameful way to start a war. The subsequent “image management” from the WH (the “credible threats” that turned out to be neither credible nor threats) only made it worse. Trembling at shadows and running to hide. From what school of leadership was that?

Rumsfeld didn’t let Secret Service agents “hustle him to safety.” He just went to help at the Pentagon disaster site, then went back to work. Maybe not smart, but brave. Cheney stayed in the White House war room (basically fighting the first day of the war). When is Chaney not in charge? How hard was this?

Cheney got exiled for holding the fort while getting the White House staff to safety, while Dubya’s handlers hid him all day on 9-11, basically leaving Washington and New York to fend for themselves, then Dubya’s handlers had the gall to sell photos of Dubya staring out the window of Air Force 1, looking at, what? Cows in Nebraska? Dubya was in charge all this time? Uhhh, not exactly.

Americans know how leaders are supposed to behave. Georgie Patton knew to let the troops see him drive to the front and then fly to the rear. Winston worked at 10 Downing with a London Bobby at the door for security. Winston’s hidey hole was across (and under) the street from the Houses of Parliament and got bombed regularly by the Luftwaffe. Winston didn’t even wait for the smoke to let up before he walked the rubble (and had his picture taken). Winston even got carried away with his own very real heroism. When Winston insisted that Ike let him watch the D-Day landings from the invasion fleet (which even Ike didn’t do), King George 6th told his Prime Minister, “If you go, I must too.” Winton stayed where he belonged.

Great lines from the WWII BBC: “Buckingham Palace was bombed again tonight, The King and Queen are safe...” The late Queen Mum, wife of George 6th, said during the war she stayed in the Palace because “the children needed her and she needed to stay with the King, and the King would never leave.” Message to the enemy: pure courage and utter defiance, with class. No doubt about it. It was their finest hour.

Then there was Rudi G at Ground Zero in NYC, looking (then and now) more presidential than just about anyone in Washington. Rudi G became the hottest ticket in politics, followed by the “Rummy Show” at the Pentagon. And well deserved. When the chips were down, it was obvious who had the sand, and who did not.

Now we have Dubya’s bookend flight, an unnecessary PR landing on an aircraft carrier, to “celebrate” a war that we didn’t need to fight, which measurably distracted us and the world from the war we do need to fight. Way to fly, Mr. President!

Memo to Dubya: Come back to earth. You have a job you are supposed to be doing for us.

Since Dubya got himself lost on 9-11, the National Command Authority seems to have misplaced the real fight (global war on terror) and invented another one that it would rather fight (on Iraq). The global part shrank into the coalition of the trivial. If only they could stop attacking each other and just learn to live together. Not the Israelis and Palestinians or the Iraqi factions: the Defense and State Departments.

Ask the Saudis if they are happy with the National Command Authority’s decision to fight Al Qaeda by conquering Iraq. The global war on terrorism and the CEO-style presidency have come across to the world more like a combination of Gary Cooper’s deputies in High Noon and the Amity Town Council in Jaws. Is anybody going to lead the real fight?

The Saudis just had their 9-11, despite the conquest of Saddam. Next time we have a 9-11 in the United States (the Administration has repeatedly said they can probably do nothing to prevent it), let’s hope the White House handlers remember that public perception of leadership (what the hell, just call it “leadership”) is more important than duck and cover, picking fights we don’t need, or adolescent flights of fantasy. For a change, let’s fight the war that needs fighting.

Leadership isn’t Tom Ridge coordinating 40 (or 50, or 70) federal agencies, or John Ashcroft waging war on the Bill of Rights (except bearing assault weapons—give those back), or Dick Chaney making the Middle East safe for Halliburton. Leadership is “The Leader,” promising to “We, the People,” to insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty, or bloody well die trying, so help me God. Fighting the real fight, not some Top Gun fantasy version of reality. No more, no less.

It is dealing with Al Qaeda and their friends like Captain Quint told the Amity Town Council he’d deal with Jaws, the shark: “the head, the tail, the whole damn thing.”

Message to Dubya: Get out of Air Force 1 and other airplanes and drive to the front, so the troops can see the way to the real war.

That’s just me. I could be wrong.

September 2002

October 2005: Nothing has changed. I have more sand in my pants cuffs than Dubya has in his whole body. He continues to think his adolescent angst about his Daddy and Mommy amounts to leadership.