I see a very predictable current administration, as well as a numbing "sameness" in the current GOP candidates. It's a frustrating and tiresome, constant stream of blah, blah, blah from both sidelines in this game. I suppose, on some level, that's OK, as it provides us with our coveted system of checks and balances.
Ah, but what I'm waiting for, or rather for whom I'm waiting... is a Game Changer! Not an order taker, but a sales professional. Not a play caller, but a Coach. Not a manager, but a real, honest to God, Leader. I'm looking for a Lincoln, Churchill, Jefferson, Kennedy, or Reagan. I'm looking for a God fearing leader, who is not ashamed... or deterred by public opinion, regarding his or her relationship with our Creator. I'm looking for that man or woman who can look us in the eye, assure us that it's going to be OK, take us by the hand... and LEAD us out of this mess and into something better than we've ever known before.
Someone who can instill the desire to serve, rather than the desire to work the system. Someone who can speak clearly, without assessing blame. Someone who can speak truth, without fear of reprisal. Someone who knows how to both apologize and to forgive. And please forgive me here for taking off my rose colored glasses... But someone who knows that in a world filled with evil and ill intent towards the US, that a powerful, efficient, effective, well equipped and trained military... is absolutely essential, without compromise. Human nature will not be changing anytime soon. I fantasize ideas such as "give peace a chance," yet I'm not sure how that plays in terrorist cells around the world. Like it or not, the free world needs us to be strong and adaptable to the current chaotic global situation...
I am reminded of the Colonel in Viet Nam... I was a green Lieutenant and a Platoon Leader with the 196th Infantry Brigade. We were on a lonely and foreboding hilltop, deep in the boonies, and our battalion was told to "dig in." The Colonel came by to check our progress and I asked him, "Sir, just how dug in do you want us to get?" In his wisdom (the man went on to become a 4 Star General and Commander of US Forces in Europe) he said, "Lieutenant, dig in like you'll be here for the rest of this war... but be ready to move out on a moment's notice!" I got it. That was leadership... Strong, yet flexible. And so it gets said, it's easier to lead when the going is smooth. Like this Colonel, we need a leader who can take decisive action, under extreme circumstances. His leadership saved a lot of bacon...
The rules of the world have changed since our heyday in the 25 years after WWII. We need a leader who can get off the status quo... adapt to the changes, as needed... and most importantly, create the changes required to assure our success for the coming generations.
