Bush and His Principles
Here's Ari Fleischer, doing the rounds:
"I think that as his administration went on he became unpopular, he became increasingly chastened," Fleischer continued. "He became increasingly less, in his rhetoric, where he used to talk about 'wanted dead or alive' tough guy talk, he started toning that down and out substantially. It was too late by then and it was because of the facts on the ground not because of the rhetoric he was using."[source]Fleischer also offered some advice for President Obama, but counsel that sounds like what got his former boss in trouble.
"The most important thing in public life is to stand by your principles and act on them. This is what attracts people to you. Because you might be right, you might be wrong. Nobody is smart enough to really know. But if people think you are sincere, it comes from your heart people will back you up. That's why George Bush won in 2004."
Actually, that's NOT the most important thing. If you are president, the most important thing is defending the nation and upholding the Constitution. One's own "principles" should be sacrificed accordingly. It's disheartening that neither Bush nor Fleischer understand this, despite spending 8 years engineering and observing the consequences of wrecking our country and ignoring the Constitution.
Even more disheartening than that, though, is Fleischer's implication that "the most important thing in public life" is politics, not service. That explains a lot.