Although I agree with Rick Warren's recent article emphasizing that culture is influened by God's Holy Spirit changing hearts and not be change in laws, I must admit to being deeply disappointed thus far in US President Barack Obama's "law-making"... or more accurately law-rescinding... abilities. While I still believe Obama in an intelligent and thoughtful man and a compelling orator, he so far has shown little policy uniqueness. He has rescinded the Mexico City Policy, and today he removed the restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research. Again, I was/am not a big fan of the Bush administration or the policies on most things, but it seems as if Obama is setting policy (or more accurately rescinding policy) simply by choosing the opposite of Bush. Is this really "a new way to do politics?"
While as a new leader it can be tempting to show how different you are to your predecessor by "doing" something new or undoing the previous leader's mistakes, wise leadership usually takes some time to gain some perspective, understand some of the reasons decisions may have been made that to others look foolish, ignorant, or (insert your own adjective). You may still need to develop new policies or revert back to former procedures, and then a clear explanation for the changes needs to given, even if the popular opinion is that such-and-such was a poor policy in the first place. I don't think I have ever seen politeness or courtesy to previous leadership be wrong, even if there was much unlikeable or wrong about the predecessor's leadership. One does not need to be rude and condescending to be truthful and progressive. A new leader can still be kind and gracious without affirming mistaken or wrong policies/practices.
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