Page 135 - Leadership Lessons of the White House Fellows

THE LESSONS

them in cold blood, thousands with their eyes blindfolded and their
hands tied behind their backs. “The mass slaughter of humanity is not
just a thing of the past, like the genocide that I had seen through the
witnesses I worked with and the crime scenes I had visited in Bosnia,
but it is also part of the present in Darfur,” Vlasic said. “And thus, I
asked my question:

Mr. President, on the topic of evil, you have done more than any other world
leader to highlight the evil that is going on in Darfur, and as someone who
spent nearly three years of his life helping prosecute genocide, I thank you
and applaud you. But why haven’t you done more to push the issue at the
United Nations Security Council and, if need be, dare China’s veto—
especially before they host the Olympics—and let them say they are okay
with genocide?

“The President’s answer was great, and frankly, having talked to a number
of politicians about the issue, it was more than I expected,” Vlasic said.
“While his answer is off the record, I can say that it was not a stock
response. It was heartfelt and well informed. And it was even saddened.
Here was arguably the most powerful man in the world, and while he
appeared passionate about the issue, there was much, it seemed, he could-
n’t do without real international consensus and United Nations support.
Amazingly, the president referred to Darfur three more times during our
two-hour meeting, which went about an hour past our allotted time. This
was not a mere public relations issue for the president—this was a heartfelt
issue for him.”
At the conclusion of their meeting, President Bush brushed off his
staff ’s attempt to move him along to his next appointment and invited
the Fellows into the Oval Office for a tour and a photo session. He dis-
cussed the history of the room and several of its relics and then posed
for a picture with each Fellow. “When it was my turn, I shook his hand
for the camera and I thanked the president for his time,” Vlasic said.
“But before I could walk off, the president grabbed me by the elbow and
said, ‘Thank you very much for your interest and passion on the Dar-
fur issue. We have to find a way to do more. You should spend some
time with my friend Andrew.’ Well, Andrew is Andrew Natsios, the
president’s special envoy to Sudan. So, on the president’s advice I called

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