Back in the autumn of 2002, as Fred Thompson was preparing to cast a vote in favor of starting a war in Iraq, where the American military is still stuck in a deepening quagmire five years later, he gave gushing praise to George W. Bush. Reflecting on the speech that President Bush gave before the United Nations urging the world to unite to wage war in Iraq, Fred Thompson declared, “The President made a magnificent speech.”
Oh, it was a good speech all right. It was effective in convincing the American people that starting a war in Iraq was a great idea.
The trouble is that Bush’s good speech was an act of rotten leadership. There’s a big difference between making a persuasive speech and leading a nation in the right direction. Effective leaders don’t just make compelling speeches. They also craft effective policies and plan for the future. Bush didn’t do that. He just gave a speech and trusted that everything else would work itself out in the end.
The trouble with Fred Thompson is that he didn’t seem to know the difference between good speechmaking and good leadership any more than Bush himself did. Though he was a powerful Senator with close ties to the Bush White House at the time, Fred Thompson did nothing to ensure that the Bush Administration developed sound plans for the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
No, George W. Bush made a magnificent speech, and that was enough for Fred Thompson.
It makes sense, in a way, that Fred Thompson does not understand the difference between putting on a show and providing solid leadership. After all, Thompson has spent much of his life being an actor, pretending to be characters on TV and in the movies in order to entertain people, even though he didn’t really have the substance to sustain the substance of those characters. For Fred Thompson’s career, holding up a few moments of the appearance of seriousness has been enough. Apparently, Fred Thompson is hoping that kind of show will be enough to keep voters enthralled during the 2008 presidential election.
The international prestige of the United States has been diminished enough by this emphasis of style above substance. In 2008, we need to elect a President who has the substance of well-considered progressive ideals, not just the glitz of show business.
(Source: News Release from the Office of Senator Fred Thompson, September 12, 2002)
