Where Have All the Leaders Gone? by Lee Iacocca, Catherine Whitney Read Free Book Online Page A

war. I think we’ve been so disappointed in our leaders that we have a hunger for people we can look up to for their strength and heroism, and that is why McCain holds a special place in many people’s hearts. But politically he has changed his position so many times, you have to ask if he really has political CONVICTION. He has a habit of being both for and against an issue, depending on the audience (example: abortion). While he shows a willingness to compromise, which is a good thing, his compromises can feel like caving in (examples: campaign finance reform and the torture act). The media needs to push McCain on his contradictory stands and help us get a real idea of what he would do in office.
    In the Senate, McCain has demonstrated that he can work across party lines, and we could really use a President who can unite the parties. However, I was a little disturbed to learn that he’s hired Terry Nelson to be his campaign manager. Nelson is known for below-the-belt politics. He was responsible for the famous “bimbo” ad that defeated Harold Ford, Jr., in the 2006 Tennessee Senate race. What does it say about John McCain that he’s willing to make that kind of person the head of his team? I think we should ask him.
    Rudy Giuliani earned the title “America’s mayor” for showing remarkable cool and COURAGE under pressure during the CRISIS of 9/11. You can’t take that away from him. But as I’ve watched the clamor building for his candidacy, I’ve noticed that people seem to be in love with the image, and aren’t so interested in looking at Rudy’s record before 9/11. Who is Rudy Giuliani? He wasn’t born on 9/11. I’ve known Rudy personally for many years, and he can be rigid and punitive in his governing style. Many New Yorkers feel he was a divisive mayor. In fact, Rudy’s popularity rating on September 11 was pretty low. While mayor of New York City, Rudy had a “my way or the highway” attitude that kind of reminds me of George W. Bush—which is alarming. And he isn’t known for his COMMUNICATION skills. (Perhaps the best example of poor communication skills is that he announced at a press conference he was leaving his wife— before he told her.) And what about COMPETENCE? It was Rudy Giuliani who insisted, against all advice, to locate New York City’s crisis coordination center at the World Trade Center, in spite of the 1993 bombing. That decision may have contributed to the chaos on 9/11.
    What kind of team would Rudy put together? His associations raise some issues about his CHARACTER. Some of them have corruption problems. Former police commissioner Bernie Kerik is the most famous. I hope the media asks Rudy to account for some of his actions and associations while mayor— before 9/11.
    Mitt Romney: I think of Romney as a local boy—and he was just a boy when I knew his parents, George and Lenore. They were very close neighbors of ours in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. George Romney, as you may recall, was president of American Motors and served as governor of Michigan during some critical periods. I always admired the guy. He was a smart businessman (he coined the term “gas guzzler”), and like most Mormons I’ve known, he believed in giving something back to the community through public service. So, what do I think of George’s son? Like his father, Mitt Romney spent two years as a missionary before he started his career. That says something about his CHARACTER. He’s proved himself to be a talented businessman, and while he didn’t set the world on fire as a one-term governor of Massachusetts, he was COMPETENT. I’d say Romney’s biggest challenge is to have the COURAGE of his CONVICTIONS. He’s always been a political moderate, but that doesn’t play too well with the Republican base.
    Hillary Clinton is a smart woman, and even her detractors acknowledge that she has shown COMMON SENSE and COMPETENCE in the Senate. I have no doubt that we’re ready to have a woman President.