“You know, it’s not such a great job. It’s not at all what it is cracked up to be.”
These are words of wisdom given to me in confidence by several current and former members of Congress. Though not one of those I spoke to on this topic, Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) offers a case in point. Hurd decided not to run for reelection because he realized he could make a far greater difference outside of Congress. So for many politicians on the Hill, their ability to get anything done is limited.
LIZ CHENEY SAYS SHE’LL LEAVE GOP IF TRUMP IS PARTY’S 2024 NOMINEE
Hurd came to Washington to help his constituents and actually try to get the country on the right track. Yet he found himself with no home in his own party. The loudest and most extreme elements such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) prefer cable television sound bites, rather than accepting electoral results and working across the aisle for the nation’s benefit. Unfortunately, Greene represents a large swathe of the present GOP in her disdain for, you know, actually getting stuff done.
Liz Cheney offers a far better example of leadership.
From her moving concession speech following her Wyoming primary defeat to a recent American Enterprise Institute appearance, Cheney has shown true political courage. Maybe she is actually relieved to be getting out of a cesspool of mediocrity and cowardice. Surely, she is heading to a better place where she can make more of a difference in protecting democracy. She reminds me of a former mentor of mine at the CIA, whose advice on ethics and integrity I tried to follow during my career. She stated simply and matter-of-factly: “Always do the right thing. Always.” That’s it. That was her message. Her point — there is no taking a day off when it comes to integrity.
I learned many valuable leadership lessons during my 26 years at the CIA. One shines brightly today. A leader who is preoccupied with his or her standing in an organization is not an actual leader. When people attend to concerns over their job security, they cannot attend to a key leadership principle — doing the right thing every time with courage and conviction. In the same vein, Cheney will go down in history as a titan of leadership and integrity. Indeed, we are watching greatness, in a political environment nearly devoid of it, unfold in front of our eyes. Is this a dramatic statement? Sure. But what Cheney did was so out of the norm for Washington. She accomplished something that not many of her colleagues, including from the Left, would or could ever do: She put her principles and her country far above her own interests. She took righteous actions that she knew would cause her political downfall but would also protect that which she cares about most: country. She sacrificed herself politically for the good of the country.
As Cheney observed, the last primary election she ran in was a landslide. She received over 70% of the vote. Put another way, Cheney was and is a hardcore conservative, with a near impeccable voting record if you lean on that side. To keep power, all Cheney had to do this time around was toe the truly absurd and fantastical line that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. As many of her GOP colleagues will privately attest, they know this assertion is patently ridiculous. Yet they also live in complete fear of a GOP base, which has been brainwashed by possibly the most corrupt and unethical president in our history.
Cheney’s legacy is clear. She chose to help uncover the events of Jan. 6, 2021, one of the great stains on our country’s honor.
Thank you, Liz, for upholding the values that “make America great.” Honesty. Integrity. Sacrifice. Service. The history books will judge you well. You will move on to better things. You can proudly look at yourself in the mirror and like what you see. And you definitely will sleep well at night.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Marc Polymeropoulos is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. A former CIA senior operations officer, he retired in 2019 after a 26-year career serving in the Near East and South Asia. His book Clarity in Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the CIA was published in June 2021 by HarperCollins.
