Peggy Noonan, on whom I'd given up after she declared her support for the current occupant of the White House, while he was still a candidate (she has since recanted), is back. The column she wrote yesterday contrasting the actions of U.S. Navy Captain Owen Honors (recently relieved of Command of the USS Enterprise) with those of King George VI of England in the 1930s (as portrayed in the recently released film: The King's Speech), might be her best piece of writing ever. Here are some clips:
Capt. Owen Honors, commanding officer of an aircraft carrier, was revealed to have made and shown to his crew videos that have been variously described in the press as "lewd," "raunchy," "profane" and "ribald." They are. Adm. John Harvey, who Wednesday relieved Capt. Honors of his duties, said the captain's action "calls into question his character and undermines his credibility." Also true.
In a way it's not shocking that Capt. Honors did what he did, because he came from a culture, our culture, in which, to be kind about it, anything goes.
He was acting as if it was important to him to be seen as one of the guys, with regular standards, like everyone else.
But it's a great mistake when you are in a leadership position to want to be like everyone else. Because that, actually, is not your job. Your job is to be better, and to set standards that those below you have to reach to meet. And you have to do this even when it's hard, even when you know you yourself don't quite meet the standards you represent.
It is England, the 1930s, a time of gathering crises. The duke of York, a shy man with a hopeless stammer, is forced to accept the throne when his brother abdicates. "I am not a king," he sobs; he is, by nature and training, a naval officer. Hitler is rising, England is endangered. The new, unsure king's first live BBC speech to the nation looms.
He will stutter. But he is England. England can't stutter. It can't falter, it can't sound or seem unsure at a time like this. King George VI and his good wife set themselves, with the help of an eccentric speech therapist, to cure or at least manage his condition.
He sacrifices his desire not to be king, not to lead, not to make that damn speech. He does it with commitment, courage, effort. He does it for his country.
It can't be said any better than that. The whole piece can be found on her website under the title: The Captain and the King (use the "search" box if necessary).
H/T: rm1navy
