In one of my few real conversations with President George W. Bush, I was struck by the degree to which he seemed always to have given thought to this question: How would what he said, and what his subordinates said, affect the morale of those fighting for our nation, and their families? Bush was willing to say something that wasn’t politically advantageous—and not to say something that might have been—if he thought this would adversely affect the spirit of those he had the honor to command.

If only some of our current leaders were as careful.