Wanted: Leadership, Courage And Statesmanship

Every so often, not just every four years, but in a seemingly endless succession of election years, we're deluged, bombarded, and swamped with political posturing and pontificating. Each side tries to convince us poor ignorant peasants that their candidate walks on water and will make the civilized world safe from all predators while their opponent, if elected, will bring us to the brink of extinction.

Today we're treated to the spectacle of one candidate using the word "lipstick," and the other one firing back with accusations of dirty tricks.

Whoa!

We could get incensed and angry with the low blows and declaiming about how despicable it is that the campaigns have sunk to such new lows.

On the other hand, we could sit back in our lounge chairs and enjoy the entertainment. What fun! What a comedy! Two of the most powerful men (and their running mates) picking on each and every word the other says and, like sophomores in the dorm, smacking each other on the biceps and saying, "Way to go, dude!"

Is this what we want? To see the candidates for the most powerful position in the world vying for spots on "Entertainment Tonight" and Letterman?

You know what? I'd like to be able to visualize my candidate for president seated around the conference table with Mr. Putin/Medvedev, whoever is in charge in Iran, and the survivor of the scandal of the moment in Israel, working out the future of the world.

Most voters are too young to remember even the names of these, but some of us can still see the picture of Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin huddled on the deck of a warship at Yalta, deciding the fate of the world.

Not entertainment - statesmanship. Benjamin Franklin. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Theodore Roosevelt. Even Ronald Reagan. Not comedians whipping off sound bites fed to them by their spin doctors.

I love the entertainment, but I want my president to be a statesman, not a comedian. I want him, or her, to be able to sit down at the conference table with hostile men determined to destroy the fabric of Western Civilization and replace it with their own brand of oppression. I want my president to be able to promote our way of life, but not by force of arms. I don't need my president to sit next to me on a stool at my favorite tavern and swap stories about whether the Rays should win the pennant; I want him to show the world that this is the finest society the world has ever known and we will defend it to the death of every last one of our citizens.

This election campaign has been one of the most exciting I can remember, but I really do want to see the candidates get down to the business of leadership, courage, and yes, statesmanship. So far, I haven't seen much of it.

Gail B. Leatherwood

Spring Hill