Smog-covered lenses

First off, props to Live 8. Honestly. I know there were very few artists there who were actually from African countries (which there is no excuse for, given the sheer amount of musical talent on that continent), and it also may have again hopelessly objectified the people of almost an entire continent. But as Professor Colman McCarthy once said, you have to take people from where they are, and the organizers of this thing were obviously head and shoulders above most, given the sheer amount of awareness that the concerts raised.
One section of the article quotes President Bush acknowledging his unpopularity in Europe, saying "I know my decisions aren't popular, but I have to make the decisions I think are right, and lead." I found myself pondering it for a while. Anyone who knows me even a little knows that I don't exactly think that the policies and ideologies of the President are "right," nor are they a sign of good leadership. But yet, we all make decisions that we think are right and that others disagree with. How are we to know whether they are truly right? Does El Presidente' truly believe that his decisions are right?
Ok, so I might be making a big mistake in over-analyzing a select sample of the usual spew that flows out of a world leader's mouth. But I do think it's important to ponder these things. Even though I wrote President Bush off as a credible leader a long time ago, I still think that such a thing can exist on a national or international level. The key thing to remember is that leaders only have power because they are given power (obvious for an ostensibly democratic country, but true of any leader, even a dictator), and they are expected to use that power to pursue higher ends, rather than just clutching to power like it's a dog-eared copy of Hustler. Many people, including myself, would argue that President Bush is doing exactly that. But just for the sake of argument, let's suppose for a minute that the President was someone who actually pursued principles. In that context, how would we react to that comment that defends policies that seem so obviously wrong?
Now that I've thought about it more while writing this, there are a dozen good responses for the President's comments on Kyoto and what not, even if we assume that he is basically principled and well-intentioned. But it's still a larger question worth pondering, because no matter how much we demonize him, Bush is, as he so often reminds us, "one of us regular folk." How many situations arise during the day where we think we act on principle, when in reality we're just having another Presidential moment?
Then again, I'm being too harsh. After all, he took a bold step and declared that global warming is indeed caused by human activity. So we know that he is capable of acknowledging objective reality, albeit belatedly...
Forget it. I'm going to bed, and dreaming of sugar-plum fairies caked in soot.