By What Standard Do We Allow Leadership?

[ThomWV]

It seems to me that the standard that we hold the leaders of our country to, that basic tenet which allows them to govern, is that they understand that there is only thing we ask of them in return for giving them the highest of decision making power. That is that they keep us accurately informed of what decisions are being made and what facts led to the decisions made. Its the simplest of notions. It means that they can not make secret deals and that there has to be some rational, and not personal, basis for the course of the nation. The facts leading to decision can no more be secret than the decisions themselves. This is what we call honesty in our Politicians.

So that's the trade, we will give up authority over ourselves but in return we demand honesty.

It seems to me that is the greatest failing of the Bush administration. It hasn't been honest. It had made the secret deals and it has hidden and even gone so far as to distort the facts leading to decisions. The Administration has failed us on both fronts and deserves to be tossed out for just that reason.

[LizW]

1. You know, I don't even mind a secret here or there

if I thought the government had our best interests at heart.

The problem with the Bush lies and secrets is that they invariably cover up crime, theft and cronyism. You can only have secrets if there is trust. And there is no trust anymore.

[Cats Against Frist]

2. From the horse's mouth

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed..."

I'd say that it's our own fault for letting the things that happen, happen. We have to give our consent. If we've given our consent to this, good Lord help us.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. Our Constitutionally-protected press has also failed us --

it's their job, in a democracy, to dig out the truth, and keep governments "honest."

[Karenina]

4. The day the American people

allowed a *dimwit dauphin, who cannot string 5 words together to form a coherent idea that is not a slogan, to be installed as their "mouthpiece," the condition became LIFE-THREATENING.