Hell, no, but the polls indicate most people believe it.
I don't think Kerry can win unless he pulls equal with or surpasses Bush on the issue of "strong leadership."
Here is a letter to the editor, albeit a tad bit long, which will hopefully expose that myth.
remember this link:
http://congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/----------------------------------------------------------------------
Polls suggest that voters regard Bush as a “stronger leader” than Kerry. The purpose of this letter is to briefly analyze a few of the historical characteristics of a "strong leader."
A generic list of great Presidents who displayed "strong" leadership skills might include Washington, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Truman, JFK, and Reagan. While military experience does not guarantee leadership greatness, the most obvious shared characteristic is that the majority saw combat. FDR was physically disabled, and Reagan did his fighting in Hollywood. None went AWOL; and one (JFK) used family connections to obtain a combat assignment and not to flee from it.
Lincoln, FDR, and Truman presided over war as a stimulant to economic growth. The economy boomed in the North during the Civil War. Today we are waging war with an anemic economy, increased unemployment, loss of jobs overseas, and a suffering middle class that received only a few nibbles from the Bush tax cut pie.
Wars were won utilizing restraint and "sensitivity." Lincoln and JFK were brilliant in this regard, with Reagan making great use of both in ending the Cold War. Cheney's kindergarten remarks about "sensitivity" can only make us thankful that far wiser minds prevailed during the Cuban Missile Crisis or we would all be dead. A lack of flexibility and insight may also be why Iraq has developed into such an intractable hemorrhoid.
An almost universal characteristic of strong Presidents is that they embraced and encouraged science. FDR did not comprehend nuclear fission, yet he promoted the Manhattan Project. JFK launched us on our way to the moon which produced thousands of spinoff conveniences now taken for granted. While these seven Presidents were not scientists, neither were they science stupid.
The second almost universal characteristic of these strong leaders is that they did not govern with negativity. This is especially true of FDR in the midst of a world war with enemies patrolling and landing on our coasts. Yes, we did do some nasty things to Japanese Americans, but generally great leaders refrained from issuing terror alerts that alert our enemies and jeopardize our friends, and other transparent political gimmicks.
Public perception of leadership strength is clearly determined by superficial media projections independent of core personal traits. This is illustrated by the near certainty that a squeaky voiced, wishy-washy sounding, ugly and awkward Abraham Lincoln wouldn’t have a chance in 2004 against George W. Bush.
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