Harry S. Truman said it: "The buck stops here." Every president has accepted responsibility for what has occurred during his tenure, what has happened on his watch. It is the president's responsibility to lead Congress to do what is best for the American people. The president is president of all the American people and he should act accordingly, especially in a second term, when he can rise above playing politics.
The president must understand that in order to do what is best for all Americans he must listen to and account for opposing views, then work with all those involved to craft a plan which will achieve the best possible result for the American people. He must then lead Congress and the American people in carrying out the plan. It does not matter that there is opposition; it is the leader's responsibility to bring everyone together.
Mr. Obama chooses to view the opposition as the enemy rather than work with them to arrive at a solution for a problem facing all Americans. Mr. Obama does not seem to be capable of accepting the responsibility for being a leader, nor does he seem to be capable of fulfilling the responsibilities of leadership.
Therefore, in accordance with tradition, we should view the consequences that occur while Mr. Obama is president as the result of his leadership, the buck that stops wih him. Accordingly, as a first step toward this, I suggest that should sequestration occur, we, and (especially the media) call it "the Obama sequestration" in the same way we called the tax cuts "the Bush tax cuts."
TERRY M. GERNSTEIN
McLean, Va.
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By Rand Paul
Obama acts as though we no longer have a Constitution
