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LeBoutillier: Trying to be Reagan John LeBoutillier Looking at all the present GOP presidential candidates, there are several common threads: 1) They all invoke President Reagan as their "model." 2) None of them "get" Reagan -- or have anything in common with the qualities that made him unique and a great president. 3) The mere fact that they all imitate and try to copy Reagan exemplifies just how un-Reagan-like they are. Let us explain: What made Reagan so successful? It is -- and -- was quite simple: he was already a "made" man before he entered politics. Yes, he was a radio, TV and movie star; but, more importantly, he had matured, suffered many ups and downs and, most of all, he knew who he was and what he believed. His political philosophy was his - not the product of focus-groups and adjustments. His first wife, Jane Wyman, left him ostensibly because all he talked about was policy and politics. But he loved it! He developed his (conservative) philosophy when it was not popular. But he was so sure of himself - and happy and secure in his own skin - that opposition to him and his views never phased him. Ever. Did you ever see an angry or a flustered Reagan? Did you ever see Reagan changing his hair style ... his clothes ... his entire persona? Did you ever see Reagan lash out at people? Did you ever see Reagan brag about his ongoing conversations with God? Did he ever wear his religion on his sleeve, as is so popular these days? Now, let's take a look at today's politicians and candidates -- as they all invoke Reagan as their "model" and "mentor" -- but, in fact, none of them even grasp what Reagan was all about: John McCain: a wicked temper, an internal "unhappiness" reflected in his disparaging of underlings and staff; an inveterate -- and admitted -- womanizer (a sure sign of something lacking) -- and an inbred sense of superiority coming from a privileged upbringing by his father, Admiral McCain, which allowed John to overcome and escape the consequences of his repeated bad behavior. Rudy Giuliani: a mess of an individual. Yes, tough and rough and goes all out to get what he wants. But at what cost to others? He will stomp on anyone who gets in his way; just look at the numerous criminal indictments he brought as US Attorney in the late 1980s -- for headline purposes to further his career -- but never prosecuted. Look at how he treated wife No. 2: humiliating her by bringing girlfriends right into Gracie Mansion during their marriage. Look at how he didn't attend his son's high school graduation. (And he wants to be the nominee of the GOP -- a party that says it respects "family values"?) Rudy is smart as can be - but he, too, is a mess of a human being -- with this overriding drive to be a somebody -- whereas Reagan's drive was to do something -- in his case implement strong defense and try to reduce the scope and power of the federal government. Plus, Rudy surrounds himself with sleazy people and friends. Bernard Kerik is now well-known. But there others. Like attracts like. Mitt Romney: nicknamed Flipper at the recent CPAC meeting in Washington, this son of a former Michigan governor has also struggled with finding himself. In the 1990s he wasn't a Republican. He was an independent and voted for (liberal) Paul Tsongas for president in the 1992 Democratic primary. Then, in 1996 when he ran against Teddy Kennedy, he bragged about being "to the left" of Kennedy on gay rights and abortion rights. Now, as he runs to be Mr. Conservative, he suddenly flips all his positions to be a true-blue conservative. And he trots out one tortured explanation after another for his sudden changes. Newt Gingrich: smart, calculating, undisciplined -- and totally incapable of containing his out-of-control ego. He is indeed the sharpest and most intriguing of all the GOP candidates. But in his time as Speaker, we saw his weaknesses: the GOP Revolution quickly morphed into the Gingrich Revolution; he began comparing himself to historical giants like Churchill and FDR; and he started talking in the third person, "Gingrich will go down in history as ..." An addition - on the Democrat side: Hillary Clinton: a total disaster of a human being. A foul-mouthed, cold, angry woman who has spent all her adult life trying to hide her liberalism and radical feminism. She hooked onto Bill Clinton and rode him to the White House. But it was his tremendous political skills that got him there - not hers. Now that she is on her own, you get glimpses into her emptiness. Yes, she works hard and has self-discipline. But her ever-changing hairstyles and repeated relaunches of her "personality" ("I am the best-known person no one knows") are a window into a person who is never happy with herself. Conclusion: so far, as we gear up for the 2008 campaign, none of the candidates has demonstrated that ‘internal confidence' that is then manifested publicly. They are all indeed driven - but just to get power; not to use that power for any specific purpose. What we need in this country is simple: a leader who wants to do something - not someone obsessed with becoming a somebody.
© NewsMax 2007. All rights reserved.
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