New York Sun
Collapse of Rail, Subway Strike Is a First Success for Sarkozy
President Sarkozy of France is on the verge of a breakthrough in his ambitious plan to wean his country off the restrictive working practices he believes stand in the way of national prosperity…
…The collapse of support for the strike by individual rail workers marks the first success in what Mr. Sarkozy considers the key goal of his presidency, the abandonment of expensive entitlements and special conditions for public sector workers, including generous early retirement and pension benefits for half a million rail workers, which he believes make France uncompetitive.
There is a tremendous lesson here for US presidential candidates from both parties. The public at large wants leaders who take a strong stand and then stay true to it despite the vitriol thrown at them by opponents. That is leadership. More times than not, a strong politician will win the battle.
Who among the candidates running for president can claim that quality?
Rudy Giuliani, he’s the one guy running for president who can say, yea, I did that. He can legitimately make the case that he had a vision for New York City and implemented it, over continuous and often vicious criticism. He did the same thing as US attorney against the mob. That’s not to say that there are not other concerns about a potential Giuliani presidency, but on the issue of leadership and ability to withstand withering criticism and controversial decisions, he’s proven he’s up to the task.
Barack Obama on the other hand, has demonstrated that he’s not up to the task,