Shut up, Toby
I’ve written before that as much as I like the man’s work (and much of his personality, at least as it comes through on his blog), I rarely agree with Peter David’s politics.
In his post, “Thank You, Toby“, Peter says the following:
Last night on “West Wing,” Toby Ziegler, in a spirited confrontation with Josh, explained precisely why he wasn’t wild about Santos and didn’t see him as presidential material. He said that what makes someone presidential material is that–rather than being dragged into the fray, as Josh did with Santos–a true president believes that destiny and the gods have brought him to this time and this place so that he can grab the presidency with both hands, and so that he can come up with the tough answers that stump everyone else in the country.
Not only did he neatly summarize everything I find lacking in Santos, he also described what I find so annoying about Bush.
Maybe I’m misremembering, but isn’t Bush’s religion a common complaint from many leftists? I know I’ve heard people deride Bush because he (supposedly) “believes that destiny and the gods have brought him to this time and this place”.
The position of President does bring a lot of power, but the flip side of that is that it brings a lot of responsibility. If you look around the internet a bit, it should be easy to find collections of “before and after” pictures of former Presidents. Most of them appear to age a decade or more for each four-year term they serve.
Anyone who wants to know what I think the proper “attitude” for a President to have toward his post should go read Robin Hobb’s Farseer and Tawny Man trilogy. Pay close attention to Queen Kettricken’s attitude toward her post, and you’ll get a good feel for what I think a President should be — he should be the Sacrifice.
A good President shouldn’t go after the job because he wants the power, he should go after it because he believes he can serve his country well, even though he knows it will be a trial. The problem is, as it’s been said (though I can’t find the exact quote or a source right now), that no one who is actually qualified for the job is going to be insane enough to want to put himself through that.
A belief that he’s destined, that God’s appointed him? I can do without that in a leader. What I want is a leader who can honestly put the good of his people (and, preferably, the freedom of his people) above any other considerations. I want a leader whose interest in politics is nil, someone who won’t care so much about how a decision plays in the media as about whether or not the decision is right.