Lately, I’ve noticed a great deal of manhood in mankind’s leadership, and personally, I found it humorous enough to generate this post.
I guess it began with one of my favorites for the Republican presidential nomination, Fmr. Gov. Mike Huckabee rocking out ”Freebird” on the bass:
Pretty impressive. I thought to compare that to the overt manliness of our current President, George W. Bush. President Bush is the manly standard to compare all other worldwide leadership. Among his many displays of bravado, W. has indeed wielded an axe before, in the form of an acoustic guitar, complete with the Presidential Seal:
Nevermind this photo was taken during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Merely being a guitar hero is not enough to define a leader as a real man. John Kerry can attest to this, as he tinkered with his guitar in his Senate office for a photo opportunity before his run for the Presidency, yet lost the election. So what makes a man? What manly form of exhibition serves as the best vehicle to portray courage, valiance, or fearlessness? One might say to be a man, one must get out and experience the great outdoors, as both Gov. Huckabee and Pres. Bush obviously do:
Be careful, though. This outdoorsman image will only go so far for some people. Remember Mitt Romney proclaiming he used to hunt, but followed up that by insisting that rodentry is feasible as game? This is reminscent of Senator Kerry’s unlikely hunting trip the day before the 2004 election. To rightly declare his manhood, Romney should stick to his athleticism as an example, as he has in his most recent “running” ad. This works for him. New French President Nicolas Sarkozy is also an avid runner, as is Homeland Security Chairman Michael Chertoff. President Bush was actually on the cover of the October 2002 edition of Runner’s World magazine, although he is known more for his avid bike riding. In fact, Robert Draper reports in his book Dead Certain that President Bush was so “gassed” after burning 1000 calories on a mountain bike ride, he didn’t ask a single question about Hurricane Katrina as it approached the Gulf Coast.
President Bush admits, “I like speed,” claiming he topped 32-mph on his mountain bike down a hill at Camp David. This authoritative need for speed helps explain another favorite outdoor activity among our nation’s leaders: boating, especially in the Kennebunkport, Maine area. Two American Presidents and a certain Russian President are visible in this picture:
Fellas, boating is for men, and these men show us how manliness is done. Now, about the current Russian President, Vladimir Putin: manhood has never had it so good. This manly man inadvertently became the unlikely gay icon with his recent shirtless fishing trip. He wanted to show the world that Russian men are still strong outdoorsmen, but instead came out looking a bit silly. Compare these two shirtless leaders:
This comparison helps support my final point, that on second thought, going shirtless as a world leader might not be a good idea. Doing so draws too much attention to yourself, and leaves you open to “the emperor has no clothes” remarks. At least when Barack Obama went shirtless, he was on a private family trip, and not vying for paparazzi attention.
In conclusion, the confidence (or audacity) of manhood is, I suppose, displayed in various methods and, therefore, the manner in which manhood is presented is best determined by the individual himself, as an individual knows what is best for the individual. But maybe not a shirtless individual.
