Hungry for leadership

By Carol Gee

Update of this post for The Reaction: 4:45 PM Central Time -- Regarding the FISA action in the Senate.

The Judiciary Committee version of the bill was tabled by a vote of 60-36 this morning. The Intelligence Committee bill came up for debate. Various Democratic senators wanted to offer amendments. All were objected to by Republican leadership, who just filed a cloture motion that will come up for a vote at 4:30 ET on Monday. The Senate will be in for "morning business" tomorrow. Senator Reid will vote against cloture and urged his colleagues to also oppose it.

The Vice President demanded the passage of the Rockefeller-Bond bill yesterday in a speech. Our current president demanded the bill's passage in a statement today. Take it or leave it. No amendments. No debate. No extension of the current legislation. These leaders are in a game of "chicken," racing their jalopies towards the edge of the February 1 expiration date of FISA. And the president -- through other people --is saying he has the authority to do whatever he wants anyway. Now more about leadership!!!!

The American electorate is desperate for new leadership.* Nine hundred and thirty-five lies of the current administration are but frosting slathered on the towering wedding cake of reasons why:

1. Right Wing -- The bottom white cake layer is the right wing theocratic base of the Republican party. People of color have reason to feel left off the current administration's priority list.


2. Neocon -- The second layer is the marble cake neocon influence on foreign policy. Neocon dogma is a strange marbled combination of hardline Democrat beginnings swirled with current imperialistic ambitions that include military intervention.


3. Incompetence -- The third layer is the one that fell in the oven -- the cake of competence. The current half-baked leadership is remarkable inept in far too many of the key dimensions of leadership.


4. Feeding Fears -- The next layer is yellow cake which is related to fear mongering. This layer is very fluffy, having a mushroom-cloud-like flavor.


5. Aggression -- The layer near the top is the spice-flavored aggression and unilateralism of the U.S. in the Middle East. This cake is characterized by its lumpy unmixed style of go-it-alone diplomacy.


6. Fiscal & Legal Irresponsibility -- The top cake layer is chocolate mocha-flavored. The current administration is addicted to the chocolate of runaway spending and the caffeine of law-breaking.

Leadership qualities are what voters are wondering about. What should we look for as we watch political ads or listen to candidates debating, whom to trust to tell the truth? The study of 935 lies is an indicator that the country is ready to face the facts about the dishonest run-up to the war in Iraq. But it will take years to recover. Shameless fear-mongering has debilitated our confidence as a people and called into question OCP's (our current president's) leadership in a very flat world. What can leaders do about our current president (OCP)?

Will Democratic and Republican leaders not running for the presidency be able to assist the electorate in deciding who will be the best for the job? Does the endorsement of a Senator or a Governor indicate that person understands leadership's state of the art? Not necessarily, but some voters may decide that "it takes one to know one." Though endorsements by the leaders we know and trust can help, it is more useful if we make up our own minds based on knowledge.

The tapestry of leadership theory is not that hard to digest. For example, behavior is an indicator of leadership capacity. Good leaders have a vision beyond what is right in front of them or what someone is telling them. A good leader instills confidence in those who are looking to him or her for direction and guidance in difficult matters. Good leaders are trustworthy. They lead by example. Their thoughts words and actions are consistent with those of good leaders from the past, the present and, we hope, in the future. These qualities matter in leaders in all walks of life, whether it be politician, a corporate executive, or a platoon sergeant.

And it is becoming more clear over the years that women can lead and that African-Americans can lead. All people who are not white males, thank goodness, can now can be seen as potential leaders. Step back and think what good news that is for non white male members of the electorate who have not had such viable choices in the past.

A crowded roster of candidates -- We could have a worse problem. I sense a renewed hopefulness in the country, an excitement about the possibility that things could change. Else, why would the word "change" get so deeply into the lexicon of most of our candidates. We may be on to something here!

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*Reference on wanting to learn about leadership: Recent examples -- Readers often come to this blog as a result of a Google search on leadership and related ideas, terms such as "good qualities of Democratic leaders," "google quotes freedom of fear" (Australia). One visitor did a Yahoo! search on "good leadership qualities."

(Cross-posted at South by Southwest.)