Where are the New Leaders?

Colonel Oliver North has a great editorial on FoxNEWS. In it he makes the point that the Republican party, specifically, and America, generally, needs to look for new, strong, leaders to take us forward and meet the challenges of the future. I agree. The "same-old, same-old" pork-barrel politicians currently in power just won't do. Most of them have become invested in their own arrogance of power. Sad, but true.

So where does Colonel North suggest we look for these new leaders? In the military. He explains,

"Today, there are only 129 members of Congress who have served in our Armed Forces. Since the end of World War II, the ratio of veterans in Congress has been closer to fifty-fifty. The GOP can fix that by reaching out now to the best and bravest of this generation — the remarkable young Americans serving in our Armed Forces. They are all volunteers, part of the brightest, best-educated and most combat-experienced military any nation has ever had and they don't have false illusions about the way things are in the rest of the world.

From personal experience they know that America is one of a handful of places on earth where you can drink water out of the tap or flick a light switch and the lights will come on. They are aware that in the U.S. you can go to a store and buy almost anything you want; that when you call the police you do not expect brutality to show up at your door.

The young men and women who have served our country in uniform know that America is one of the rare places on the globe where you can get in a car and drive anywhere in the country with nothing more than a driver's license and a credit card. They appreciate that every citizen has rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Military service has taught them that competence, courage, integrity, perseverance, and compassion are rewarded. Those qualities make them natural leaders."

In my opinion, Colonel North has hit the jackpot with this suggestion. We don't need toadies or narcissists who want the power and arrogance that comes the power. We need leaders who know how to serve. We need leaders with experience in evaluating a situation and making a decision. We need leaders with good judgment. The military serves as a crucible for developing the leadership qualities we need in our public servants, at all levels. We need to encourage our citizens who have served in the military to consider extending their service by running for political office; whether it be the local school board, the state legislature, or the US Congress. We need leadership!