We would exhaust ourselves, in the process wasting precious resources needed to address those problems at home and abroad that we cannot afford to ignore. It is our responsibility, it is our opportunity to lead. There is no one else. Leadership cannot be simply asserted or demanded. It must be demonstrated.
Leadership takes time.
It takes pa- tience. It takes work. Some of this work must take place here at home. Congress does have a constitutional role to play. This is what our administration, the Bush administration, has tried to do.