http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/7761Iacocca Ponders Leadership Dearth
by Bill Gallagher | May 29 2007 - 9:29am
— from Niagara Falls Reporter (posted with permission)
"I am going out of retirement because I am deeply worried about this country I love."
-- Lee Iacocca in Livonia, Mich., on May 21, 2007
CHIPPAWA, Ont. -- Lee Iacocca, the former Chrysler chairman, pitchman and best-selling author, finds the state of our nation deeply troubled, with inept, isolated and misguided politicians posing as leaders largely responsible for the mess. He is challenging the public to wake up and make our political leaders accountable for their deeds and is urging people to be much better informed when choosing leaders in the first place.
Over the years I've heard Iacocca pontificate on dozens of occasions on all matters great and small. He's an optimist and exudes confidence in his own ability to identify and deal with problems. But when I heard him speak last week, the gravity in his tone was unusual and telling. He said starkly of our nation, "We have lost our way."
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The style of leaders Iacocca advocates would be open to views that challenge their preconceived notions. He deplores the cowboy speak we've heard so often: "You see, swagger isn't courage, tough talk isn't courage. Forget 'shock and awe.' Forget 'Bring 'em on.' Let's try a little honesty and humility. Don't just say mistakes were made, we know that. Step up to the plate."
Iacocca's broadsides against George W. Bush during his speech were mild compared to excerpts from his book. He voted for Bush in 2000 but supported John Kerry in 2004. At age 82, Iacocca has become like a fine cheese or wine, to be savored and revered.
He makes his case with righteous indignation: "Had enough? Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is the outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind and we can't even clean up after a hurricane, much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'Stay the course.' Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic. I'll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out! You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore. The president of the United States is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, tap our phones and lead us to war with a pack of lies. Congress responds to record deficits by passing a huge tax cut for the wealthy (thanks, but I don't need it). The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know that to do. And the press is waving pompoms instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of America my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for."
I never bothered reading "Iacocca." I will be reading "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?"
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