When Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin offered his resolution to censure President Bush for breaking the law, the marquee disappointment was that not one other Democrat stood up with Senator Feingold. But much more significant was the failure of Democrats to provide a clear indication of where they stand in relation to the issues raised by Feingold's censure proposal. Aside from the question of whether censure is the right approach, Feingold offered Democrats an opportunity to speak out about an issue one would think Democrats could address with one voice - the president is not above the law. Whether or not they supported censure, every one of them could have registered their dismay at Bush's apparent and undisputed disregard for the law.
Instead we saw leading Democrats scuttling like cockroaches for the shadows every time a journalist sought to shine the light of inquiry on where they stood. John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer, even Barack Obama either ran away or pretended to be preoccupied with more pressing issues when asked by reporters about Feingold's resolution.
Many more acted as if they hadn't had time to think about it or had no opinion about Bush's malfeasance. What does this have to do with leadership? These are not leaders, they are actors, and bad ones at that. They act as if their opinions were important, yet they are afraid to utter them.
Something is terribly wrong when our supposed leaders will not take a stand about momentous issues. The president may have his reasons, and they should be given due consideration, but his overt and unrepentant lawbreaking is momentous. Either we change the law or we stop the president from breaking it. Leaving his delinquencies unmet does irreparable damage to the institution of law.
We need our leaders to help us understand the big picture, to debate when there is contention, and to fulfill their oath to protect the Constitution. When our leaders run away from problems for fear of the political consequences of dealing with them, they are no longer leaders. They are more like scavengers sorting through the leavings of the herd, hoping to divine which way the inscrutable public will turn next.