Sunday, October 22, 2006
Taking Responsibility
Jim Leyland was asked about his decision to pitch to Pujols in the first game of the World Series. Pujols, with first base open, homered and broke the game open. Leyland said he took full responsibility, it was his decision. He said that he told Justin Verlander to pitch outside and that “the ball trailed back over the plate”. The sportscasters went on about how Leyland took responsibility. When do you hear that?, they asked.
You hear it all the time. Hastert takes responsibility, Rumsfeld takes responsibility, and then they go back to their jobs. If Leyland was saying it was all his doing, why did he let slip an apparent mistake on the part of his pitcher? Leyland implied that it was his pitcher who didn't perform as instructed, not his responsibility at all. If Hastert and Rumsfeld take responsibility, how does that reflect any change in the real world?
“Taking responsibility” has become a meaningless deflection in the Kabuki theatre of public life.