The Statesman & Criticism

When the Statesman is criticized, he considers the source of the criticism. Is he being criticized by the immoral and dishonest? He should ignore them mostly. Such people have the freedom to speak, but they have not earned the right to be heard. The Statesman should also consider why he is being criticized. Vice President Pence was criticized as a "prude" because he would not eat in a public restaurant with a woman except his wife. He should flatly ignore such sniping which apparently he did.

The Statesman and the National Heritage

Statesmen work to preserve the best of their national heritage. For many nations in Europe and in the Americas, the religious heritage is Christian. Hungary's Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó, is aware of that. He said, "Hungary has been a Christian country for more than a millennium. The current government is a Christian democratic government which takes seriously the heritage of Christianity in Hungary and in Europe, and we’d like to preserve Europe as a Christian Europe. We want to preserve Hungary as Hungarian and as a Christian Hungary."

Was George Washington a Deist?

For decades, scholars claimed that George Washington  was a Deist, a man that believed in a Creator-God, but not the God of revelation. In this essay, I make the argument that George Washington was not a Deist.

Take Them As You Find Them

The American democracy faces many challenges for the future: racial tension, a substantial cultural divide, and the prospects of a national, financial collapse are just some of the challenges that daunt us now and have the potential to undermine our future. The statesman will have to be a person that embraces the problems of the republic and makes the most of the resources at his disposal. Few have done this better than the Confederate general Robert E. Lee. Even though Lee lost the war between the states, he made much of the resources available to him. His few words express his philosophy of living. In a letter to his son, he told him, "Shake off those gloomy feelings. Drive them away. Fix your mind and pleasures upon what is before you. All is bright if you will think it so. All is happy if you will make it so. Do not dream. It is too ideal, too imaginary...Live in the world you inhabit. Look upon things as they are. Take them as you find them. Make the best of them. Turn them to your advantage."

The Precedent President

Anytime a new leadership position is created, the first leader will be important in establishing important precedents for the leaders that will follow him. No one did that better than America's first president, George Washington. In this article, I discuss what Washington did to lay a foundation for future presidents.

The Statesman and Discipline

The Statesman knows that before he can be an effective leader, he must win the battle over himself, the ability to say "no" to his impulses. Former President Harry Truman once said, “In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves…Self-discipline with all of them came first.”

The Leader on the Inside*

The Statesman is not just interested in appearing to be a leader; he desires to be a leader on the inside. The Statesman wants to be a leader of character. Character is what you are on the inside and is usually revealed when you are under pressure. Character can be compared with fashion which is the "science of appearances" according to Steven Covey. A person focused on fashion wants to appear to be something that he is not.

The foundation of all character is discipline which is "the ability to say 'no' to our impulses." We can think of the development of character this way:

Our beliefs inform our thoughts
Our thoughts inform our actions
Our actions inform our habits
Our habits comprise our character

We could say that character is the sum of our habits. We need leaders who will not just make the right decisions, but will make the right decisions out of habit.

*Quotes from Steven Covey, Principle-Centered Leadership

Is America a Christian Nation?

The Statesman does not forget the foundation of his nation. For America, that foundation was Christian, as Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA) reminds the House of Representatives.

The Statesman on Immigration Policy

The Statesman can learn from Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) who gave this short speech in response to the denouncement of American immigration policy by Mexican President Felipe Calderon. McClintock stressed that American immigration policy is not exclusionary and it has the purpose of ensuring that those that immigrate to America, do so with the intent of becoming Americans.

The Statesman is....a Woman

Our federal government has reached new levels of arrogance, foolishness and disregard for the Constitution. The biggest external threat to our budget comes from the federal government--oppressive health care mandates, job-killing environmental restrictions, and continual refusal to pay for costs associated with illegal immigration.~ Jan Brewer