Leadership,again

"True leaders these days are hard to find. They are in short supply. And we need a true leader now, more than ever..."

Ever since I was a young man, I have been fascinated by the concept of leadership. Not management, but leadership. And I think one of the things that most intrigued me is leadership is totally intangible. It is there, but unseen. The effects of good leadership however, are not unseen. But the recipe on what makes a good leader remains a mystery.

I have been looking over the 13 Republicans and 3 Democrats running for our nation's highest office. I am not only looking for capabilities, but also leadership. Capabilities are things one might discern from a resume - leadership is more of a "sixth sense" issue. If someone has leadership, you know it, but many times are at a loss on how to define it. So far, none of the 16 candidates have the type of leadership I am looking for. Not even close.

Who in my estimation has the "right stuff"? The type of leadership we need in this country? One of the cable TV stations has a military expert named Jack Keane. He is a retired four star Army general. He had a very distinguished career when he served. To me, General Keane has the "right stuff", through and through. He is smart, he is wise, he is measured, he is determined. And most of all, he has that "other" ingredient which is so hard to describe. I would have loved to serve under General Keane. 

I know many get tired of me pulling Ronald Reagan out of the grave to talk about him. But I need to do it again. Whether you loved him or hated him, many thought President Reagan was our last true leader to sit in the White House. And includes me. No Watergate, no oral sex in the Oval Office, no trashing the White House before the next Administration comes in, no dividing the nation.

Ronald Reagan was a man who loved America and loved the American people. And it showed in just about everything he did. And even though President Reagan and Speaker O'Neill were on opposite sides of the political street, they liked and respected each other. There are still stories floating about concerning these two Irish guys "tipping" a few scotches and playing cribbage in the White House after dark.

Someone asked me earlier in the year what I thought it would take to make America great again. To have us feel great again. My answer was simple - leadership. Just the polar opposite of what we have now. And how will we know it when a true leader comes along to lead us? Trust me - most of us will know it. I just hope we know it sooner rather than later.