The Impotent Giant: How to Reclaim the Moral High Ground of America's Politics

By H. John Lyke PH.D.

The Impotent Giant has nothing to do with being a Democrat or Republican. It has everything to do with what it means to be an American. Alarmed about who and what the United States of America represents, author Dr. H. John Lyke articulates how citizens can help to regain the moral and political leadership. Using psychological principles, he provides a discussion of why our country is in the fix it's in and how to return it to its former greatness.

Dr. Lyke's research on the issues began with a re-examination of the lives of outstanding leaders, especially George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, two men who led the United States toward the attainment of American ideals. Studying the principles, courage, and actions of these men offers a model for effective leadership and rekindles one's pride in being an American, a pride that for many has shrunk drastically during the past ten years.

The Impotent Giant examines where the country stands among other nations and how the citizens of the United States and those of the rest of the world perceive its leaders. It encourages citizens to elect the right leaders, discuss the right issues, and act for the right reasons.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Oct 27, 2008
• ISBN: 9780595906819

H. John Lyke PH.D.

Dr. Lyke is a Diplomate in Clinical Psychology (American Board of Professional Psychology) and Professor Emeritus at Metropolitan State College of Denver. He received his doctorate from Michigan State University. After the armistice, he served in Korea as a Detachment Commander in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps.

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DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to all those Americans who want to return America to its former greatness, and in so doing, regain our high moral and political regard among nations.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

FOREWORD

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

THE BIRTH OF A NATION

GIANTS, LILLIPUTIANS, AND YOU

A GOVERNMENT OF GLUTTONY

GEORGE W. BUSH: THE FORTY-THIRD PRESIDENT

OF THE UNITED STATES

9/11: THE DATE GEORGE W. BUSH DEFINED HIS PRESIDENCY

BETTER LEADER, BETTER FUTURE

BECOMING A BETTER AMERICAN

THE FLAG AND THE PRESIDENCY: DIMINISHED ICONS

THE NEED TO COME TOGETHER AS A NATION

THE PROBLEM WITH EXTREMISM

PUBLIC OPINION AND THE PRESIDENCY

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE

INTEGRITY

WHAT IF ABE LINCOLN WERE ELECTED

PRESIDENT IN THE YEAR 2000?

WHAT DO WE AS A NATION VALUE?

HOW TO CURE OUR GIANT’S IMPOTENCE

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would indeed be remiss if I didn’t express my deep appreciation for the love, care, and help my dear friend, Dr. Richard R. Waite, has given me since I moved to Colorado in 1967. I would never have written this book without his encouragement and belief in me.

It is safe to say that without Dick’s understanding and acumen, I would not be where I am today, and—to quote Harry Stack Sullivan, noted psychiatrist of the twentieth century—I would have ended up an inferior caricature of what I could have become.

Dick helped me unlock the mysteries of my mind, and in doing so, helped me appreciate who I am and what I believe is important in my life. That understanding provided me with the impetus to embark on and complete the momentous undertaking of writing this book.

Special thanks goes to my niece, Kim Augspurger, who provided the original artwork for the cover illustration.

In my book, I occasionally compare my personal ship of state with that of our nation. Well, if I was the captain of my ship of state, then for the purpose of this book, my editor, Jim Syring, was my navigator. His skills were excellent; he kept me on course throughout my voyage. Early on in our relationship, after I had sent him the lion’s share of my manuscript, he observed that a third of the book is filled with other people’s quotes; I’m interested in hearing about your observations, not what others have to say.

I appreciated his implied message that my ideas were important, and that the only way to claim true ownership of my book would be to fill it with original thought.

The other thing I so appreciate is Jim’s insistence that The Impotent Giant be a book I’d be proud to have written. He did that by believing in me and having the quiet confidence that I had the wherewithal to write a good book.

I so appreciate that he did not intercede and rescue me when the political waters got rough. By not interjecting his prose and thoughts into the writing, he made sure this was indeed my book.

The iUniverse team that I had the pleasure of working with not only lived up to what I would expect from my publisher but delivered much more. My thanks to Molly O’Bryan, Brittany Brauer, Michael Fiedler, Suzanne Lif, Jason Straw, Jenn Taylor and Jennifer Gilbert, who deserves special mention for her excellent work in the editing process.

The person most helpful and essential in completing this book is my friend Randy Pozniak. His contribution was invaluable. Randy provided me with some of the political information that forms the book’s skeleton. From there, I was able to add meat to the bones by providing the psychological knowledge necessary to make a meaningful whole.

Whatever I asked Randy to do in the way of gathering information to help support a given thesis for the book, he did so willingly and forthrightly.

As I wrote this book, he offered both friendship and inspiration. In many ways, the book is as much his as mine.

FOREWORD

I am your average American. I work hard, I love my country, I pay my taxes … and most of the time, I feel ignored by the powers that run this country.

My friend H. John Lyke hears my concerns for this country and articulates them in The Impotent Giant. He seamlessly weaves his patriotic passions, his knowledge of history, his career in academia, his practice in psychotherapy, his intellectual curiosity, and his personal political journey into a study of what is wrong with this country’s giant and what can be done to set our ship of state on the correct course to safely navigate the political waters of the twenty-first century.

This is a book for you and me—the concerned citizens of our great land who are alarmed about who and what the giant has become. Our giant has become obese, and John’s book shows us how to improve its health with a diet of common sense and a regimen of patriotic exercise.

The ideas that John explores in this book and the recommendations he makes regarding how our leaders should behave will hopefully give us back the America that we have loved in the past—and that we know the country can and should be in the future.

Randy Pozniak

PREFACE

I’m a diplomate in clinical psychology (ABPP), which was awarded by the American Board of Professional Psychology. I received my PhD in psychology from Michigan State University and am a retired emeritus psychology professor. I spent over twenty-five years teaching at Metropolitan State College in Denver, Colorado. Throughout my employment there, I maintained a private practice as well. Part of that time, I served as a psychology consultant for the Tennyson Center for Children at the Colorado Christian Home, which is a residential treatment center.

Not long ago, in a quest to define the attributes that make a great leader, I read books on George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Benjamin Franklin. Just reading about their lives and their accomplishments made me feel proud to be an American. I was curious about why modern-day America failed to stir such a strong sense of pride within me. I decided to use my professional background in psychology to find out why I felt that way and to investigate what was right and what was wrong with our country and its leaders.

This book is the result of that arduous journey into the soul of America.

Sobering Realizations

When I began to look into all the little nooks and crannies of our great country, I didn’t like what I saw. In fact, I became so distressed that I felt I just couldn’t sit on my hands and do nothing. I felt compelled to write a book, and that’s exactly what I did. That’s how The Impotent Giant was born.

After we were attacked on 9/11, were we asked to sacrifice anything in order to pay back our enemies? No, we were told to go shopping, so we did. While a few young men and women made great sacrifices—including, in some cases, their lives—most of us were at the mall. Too many of us are uninterested in politics and in making America work. An improved nation can only come through a common effort, brought about by our united beliefs and actions.

I believe we need to treat each other with more civility—politicians and nonpoliticians alike. We need to restore to its former greatness the passion for and love of country that existed during the Revolutionary and Civil wars, as well as what existed during the Second World War. We need to recapture the common patriotic goals that were clearly present then, but which seem absent now. If this is not done, the freedoms that our forefathers struggled to create and protect will dwindle to nothing. Our country as we once knew it will no longer exist, replaced with anarchy, civil disorder, and discontent. Terrorism will have indeed won the war of ideas.

After reading about Washington and Lincoln, I compared them to the politicians of the twenty-first century. Unfortunately, I discovered that very few true statesmen work in politics today, unlike in the early days of our country.

Today, politicians and statesmen are like oil and water. A politician is only concerned with the present, while a statesman is concerned with not only the present generation’s needs and well-being, but that of future generations as well. Currently, not all politicians are statesmen—in fact, fewer and fewer modern-day politicians can call themselves statesmen.

However, in rare instances, the best qualities of politics and statesmanship can reside in the same person. Washington was intricately involved with not only writing the Constitution, but also winning the Revolutionary War, so that future generations could live a life free of British domination. He and his fellow countrymen felt strongly enough that they were willing to die in order to ensure freedom. Lincoln succeeded in preserving the Union by winning the Civil War and was the prime mover in freeing the slaves so that future generations, regardless of race, color, or creed, could live in greater peace and tranquility.

Personal and Political Introspection

When I was younger, I had a very limited understanding of politics. I grew up aligning myself with the Republican Party. My whole family was conservative Republicans.

It was not until some years into adulthood that I decided being a Republican, let alone a conservative one, didn’t fit me. As a result of psychotherapy, I eventually discovered that what I thought I had believed in no longer fit my new political persona. This change of heart came when, as a result of psychotherapy, I began to realize that I’ve lived a very fortunate and blessed life. This became even more clear when I compared my own good fortunes with those who were less fortunate than me.

That insight was only achieved after I had made enough progress in my own life to stop and take a look around. Before then, I was too self-absorbed and concerned with my own sense of worth and personal satisfaction to be worried about how others might be feeling.

This preoccupation with self is not unusual. We often spend a great deal of time contemplating our own dissatisfactions and failings. But Americans, just like any human beings on this earth, have more than themselves to worry about. Entire future generations depend on the decisions we make now—not just for ourselves, but for our country at large.

Psychotherapy allowed me to look at myself more realistically, and as a result, I saw the political landscape differently. I realized I had a greater duty to my country than I had felt before.

One of the very real by-products of therapy was a sense of empowerment. By that I mean I learned how to be a good caretaker of my life and a thoughtful steward of my country.

Empowerment is not an end goal in itself, but a means to an end. If feeling empowered were my goal, I would continually do things only for me. I would become self-absorbed. Only accomplishments pertaining to me would impress me; I would never look beyond myself for personal satisfaction. I believe this is the way our politicians are behaving. Their preoccupation with keeping themselves in office short-circuits any national concerns.

One of the basic theses of this book is that most politicians, including presidents, maintain their sense of power and influence by being selective in who they serve. For example, when they go out onto the campaign trail, their foremost thought is, What must I do to get elected? They’re not necessarily going to appeal directly to the poor, the disadvantaged, or anybody else who they think cannot or will not support them, especially through financial contributions. Unlike dictatorships, the two-party system causes individual candidates to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to shore up their political base. Consequently, the portion of the public that exists outside of that base is ignored or disregarded. The needs of those who are less wealthy—and thus unable to financially contribute to a candidate’s campaign—are ultimately overlooked. Year after year, election cycle after election cycle, the political needs and concerns of the poor remain unaddressed.

Unlike most modern presidents, Washington and Lincoln governed America more from the middle than the extremes. They wanted to unite the country, not divide it.

Politicians should serve all Americans, not just a select minority. If today’s politicians and president were more reflective and introspective, they would ask themselves, "Is this a decision that will not only benefit me and my constituency, but also all Americans?" If our government operated under that mind-set, we as a nation would be more united and less divided than we are today.

Terrorism is anathema to this nation and is very divisive. Today, there are blue states and red states, conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats, and never the twain shall meet. Welcome to the Divided States of America. With the advent of terrorism, a whole new mind-set is required of our senators and representatives, to say nothing of our president. In order to combat terrorism, we need to adequately respond to national interests and concerns, and in that way build a sense of community with all Americans, not just with the political base who helped get our politicians elected in the first place. As a matter of fact, in order to hold terrorism to a minimum, we as a nation need to build a sense of unity not only with people in this country, but with all the nations of the world.

It’s important to remain grounded when you’re a politician. One of the reasons I chose to write Giant was that I felt that our political system does something to U.S. politicians, from the president on down, after they’re elected. There are certainly exceptions, but generally speaking, our politicians lose their sense of who they are and the reason they hold that high office in the first place. They seem to become obsessed with the power and the money that comes with the job.

Introspection and reflection is a lifelong duty to self. If politicians would do what Socrates recommends, which is to reflect on their lives and engage in periodic self-examination, they could stay aware of why they chose to become politicians in the first place. Ideally, politicians run for office in order to represent all Americans—advocating for those who lack the resources to help themselves, fighting to protect the rights of citizens and uphold the Constitution, and making our country a better place. But somehow, those ideals dissipate once a politician is safely in power. At that point, he or she focuses on keeping that power, rather than using it to help others.

Political deceit will not cut it with the American people. In therapy, I learned that a lot of people really are only concerned about themselves and what they can get out of the system. A fair amount of such people end up in politics.

This kind of thinking will have to stop if we’re going to survive as a nation.

Abraham Lincoln was a real American. He had an ability to talk to everyone—rich, poor, black, or white. He didn’t care how anyone appeared. Nor did he care what they did or did not do for him. What remained central to his thinking was whether any given decision was right for all Americans, regardless of race, color, or creed. He spoke of love and caring for others. He was responsive to all peoples’ needs. That is why he is considered by many as our greatest president. Why is there no politician of Lincoln’s caliber today? Throughout the book, I will be using Lincoln and his administration as the gold standard for leadership.

Shrinking American Integrity

All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. —William Shakespeare

As Shakespeare wrote, I too believe the whole world’s a stage, and we are the actors. We also go through predictable stages.

I realize that at my age, my physical senses are weakening. But in the grand scheme of things, I steadfastly try to maintain, nourish, and preserve my sense of integrity. After all, what else will be fully functioning and intact at the end of life, if not one’s integrity?

Politicians aren’t the only ones shrinking their civic duty. Besides troops serving in Iraq, how many other Americans are willing to risk dying or being wounded to defend America?

If brave men and women in uniform are going to risk life and limb, the argument for that war should be clearly supported—not only by the president, but also Congress, as well as most of the American public. There is nothing more divisive than an unjustified war.

The Greatest Generation

Author and journalist Tom Brokaw wrote about the greatest generation. His premise was that through self-sacrifice and courage, an entire generation of WWII vintage had distinguished itself as the greatest generation. While I believe that the generation he refers to was an exceptional one, I believe that the true greatest generation is yet to come. It will be the generation whose courage is measured by their level of compassion, tolerance, and empathy toward all peoples. It will be the generation that escapes the bounds of narcissism and sincerely strives for justice and liberty for all. It will be the generation that assumes its dutiful role as responsible stewards of the planet. It will be the generation that manages to achieve peace on earth. When the sum total of these conditions is met, we can declare them the greatest generation.

I am not naive to the point that I believe these conditions can be achieved anytime soon. I do feel strongly, however, that we need to begin our pursuit. We have come too far as a civilization to deny ourselves the chance of fulfilling these universal ideals. So let’s start here. Our country is in need of a kick in the pants. Our country needs its people to make it great, to wrest back control of the government and insist that they represent our values and interests. Let’s start here and demand that our government lead us down the path that will one day produce a future greatest generation.

INTRODUCTION

I’ve chosen The Impotent Giant as the title of this book to reflect the way our government (hence, our nation) appears to all who view it. This includes not only how the world at large sees us, but how we ourselves view our country. The reasons for our country’s impotence will be discussed, and through the discussion, we will reacquaint ourselves with what it means to be an American.

I want it to be abundantly clear this book has nothing to do with being a Republican or a Democrat. However, it has everything to do with being an American. Don’t worry—there’s enough blame to go around, regardless of what party I’m discussing. As I said earlier, this insidious destruction of what has made this beloved country so great has occurred gradually, over many, many years. I want to attack the issues, not a specific party.

As you read this book, try to read it without thinking about whether it agrees with your personal political orientation, no matter what that is. That is particularly true if you embrace one of the extremes of the political spectrum. Otherwise, you may find yourself unwilling to read the parts of this book that run counter to your political beliefs. In a subsequent chapter, the reason for your thinking that way will be explained.

My objective is not to bash President Bush or Congress, but rather, to show how broken our system of government is. Although at times, it may seem that a little bashing is taking place, this criticism is designed to make a point or illustrate something. In order to criticize the system itself, I have to judge the officeholders’ actions or inactions.

The president is discussed to a much greater degree than Congress because his actions or inactions are the most grievous and noteworthy.

At the end of this century, will the United States still be a world leader—or will we, like so many stumbling mammoth nations, become a fallen empire? Put another way, will the dreams and promises of Americans for their country become unattainable?

I feel it is vitally important for us, as a nation, to put aside our personal grievances and begin to work for the common good of all Americans. If we don’t begin to do that, our great republic will not survive the challenges that lie ahead in the twenty-first century.

Crumbling Principles

The United States has forsaken what our Founding Fathers envisioned for us. The personality deficiencies of Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush made it impossible for them to execute faithfully the awesome responsibilities of the presidency. They deepened the divisions in America to such an extent that many of us have lost sight of the nation’s basic values, rights, ideals, and aspirations.

In order to understand how America has gone astray, especially since 9/11, I invite you to examine its original values and principles as enunciated by Abraham Lincoln, considered by many as the greatest president of all time—and, in so doing, discover how those values can serve as a guide to get things back on track.

The book articulates the psychological factors that contribute to the failings of presidents. The book compares Lincoln’s personal integrity with Nixon’s clumsy, paranoid machinations and Clinton’s abuse of the presidency with equivocal confessions of immorality. It contrasts Lincoln’s steadfast resolve to win the Civil War with George W. Bush’s bungled management of his ill-conceived invasion of Iraq.

Focusing on the disastrous course this nation has taken for the past thirty-five years, this book articulates what needs to be done to repair our ship of state—caulking the seams, mending the sails, and setting a new course toward leadership and respect in the world of nations.

Today, this country is so polarized that less than 35 percent of the American public approve of the way our president or Congress are handling the affairs of state.

To give you some idea of how fragmented this country is, if John Kerry had won the state of Ohio, he, rather than George W. Bush, would have been elected president. In terms of the popular vote, Bush’s margin of victory was the smallest of any sitting president since Harry S. Truman in 1948.

After reading a number of books and papers on the subject of our government, its foreign policies, and the officials we have elected to run our country, I became aware that I was disenchanted with where our government has been heading ever since the early twentieth century. What I discovered was profoundly disturbing to me and needs to be rectified immediately if there’s any chance that our great republic will indeed survive and be restored to its former status in the family of nations.

It is not a secret of history that great empires have risen to a position of supremacy and subsequently fallen to a level of irrelevance or disappeared entirely. With that thought in mind, I am prompted to recognize some of the traits our nation shares with empires of old, and to explore the policies, politics, and circumstances that have cued my awareness.

We must discard our present attitudes toward other nations. Our country must become an engaged partner in global concerns, rather than a narcissistic provocateur. Our current emphasis on military power and the overt willingness to employ it unilaterally and preemptively has undermined our nation’s credibility as an altruistic society. We appear interested only in promoting our arrogant self-interests.

On the national front, it is imperative that we extinguish the preponderance of corruption that chokes our government and stifles the voice of mainstream Americans. We must, as a people, regain the idea that opportunity should be afforded all and ensure that those disenfranchised among us be raised to a level of self-reliance.

It is imperative that our current policies of unfettered, unrestrained, and unregulated capitalism be reined in to protect the backbone of our economic success: the middle class. Via lobbying leverage and political funding, large corporate and multinational conglomerates today enjoy a level of political influence not seen since the gilded age of the nineteenth century. When this kind of power runs afoul, politicians respond to the monied influences and not to the public at large. One consequence of such power is that jobs move overseas, which results in a loss of tax dollars necessary to run the country. It is crucial that we return to the day when laws were developed by legislators not beholden to deep-pocket entities, but rather, to the constituents those legislators have pledged to serve.

The recent rise in political influence of the religious right also needs to be restrained.

We need to recognize and embrace the plurality of beliefs and ideas that represents the strength of our union, rather than reverting to narrow ideologically or theologically driven views that represent a small portion of the populace.

A Passionate Message

It should be obvious that the current course we have charted as a nation causes me great concern and consternation. I am neither a blame America first pundit nor a contrarian without proposals. My sense of patriotism and civic responsibility compels me to criticize things as they are and submit proposals to chart a new path.

I feel I need to offer a personal note at this point. At times, my tone may appear a bit strident. The reason is because I am very passionate about this subject. If I appear