Executive leadership

The rhetorical smoke of battle in the 2004 presidential election campaign has concealed, for the most part, the most important quality needed to be the chief executive of the United States and commander-in-chief of the most powerful armed forces the world has ever witnessed.
That quality is demonstrated executive experience.
George W. Bush has been a successful chief executive officer of a large corporation, twice elected governor and chief executive officer of Texas; elected president, chief executive officer of the United States and commander-in-chief of the most powerful military force known to the world.
Sen. John Forbes Kerry has very little or no demonstrated executive experience. One reference mentions he had his own business at one time.
Sen. Kerry’s entire experience has been as a lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, to Gov. Michael Dukakis hardly an executive position and U.S. senator for the past 20 years.
As to Sen. Kerry’s legislative experience, it is unremarkable.
In 20 years, Sen. Kerry has sponsored and had passed in his name some five pieces of legislation of minor importance, such as naming a building in Boston, acquiring entrance documents for a man for Ireland, and so on. Among his other accomplishments, he co-sponsored a bill with Sen. John McCain to lift sanctions against Vietnam and co-sponsored another bill to honor a Major League athlete.
Sen. Kerry, in 20 years, was never a committee chairman.
Sen. Kerry in his career voted against nearly every piece of military legislation; voted against the Gulf War; voted for the Iraq War and then voted against providing the necessary funds to support our troops at war; voted over 150 times to raise taxes, and so on.
Sen. Kerry, along with his running mate Sen. John Edwards, has one of the worst attendance records in the U.S. Senate. While serving on the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, he missed more then 50 meetings following 9/11.
In the U.S. Senate, both Senators Kerry and Edwards seem to take the attitude that the title U.S. senator is more of a badge of honor, and the title, therefore, is used more to build one’s own esteem than to serve one’s country.
Now, back to demonstrated executive experience.
The hallmark of a good executive is decisiveness, being able to make a decision, stick to it and see it through. (Sen. Kerry fails this one, hands down); and projecting a strong enough image to command respect of those you lead and those you serve with. (Questions have been raised by former military associates on this one.)
To elect an individual who is demonstrably so unequipped to become the president of the United States would be a tragedy.
The American voter must come to the realization that this election will be the most important election of this coming century. A victory for Kerry would lead America further to the left, and even to the point where our government would be irrevocably changed..
The president elected on Nov. 2 must be committed to fight terrorism around the world every day — not every other day. He must appoint a Supreme Court that will protect our Constitution, (not use it as a means “to bring about social change,” as one of President Clinton’s appointees has publicly stated).
He must lead us to a better day so that we may finally reach what former President Ronald Reagan called “that shining city on the hill.”