“Produce great men, the rest follows” Walt Whitman

    In Looking for the best candidate to lead in protecting and developing our country we have long since learned that it is not a matter of specifying the extraordinary personal qualities appropriate to ideal casting.  The mixture of qualities is perhaps the best indicator of the superb leader for which we search.

    Strategic Vision however is one of the integrating capabilities which is key to superb leaders and it stems from Knowledge of history, Experience and Intelligence.  There are many people with these characteristics but the crucial factor necessary to apply this strategic vision requires the facility of Charismatic Speaking Ability to sell that vision, first to the public, then to Congress and last but not least to the separate departments of government.

    Those who believe in laundry lists insist on Character and Integrity as part of the list. There are those who think of integrity in Christian terms of "turn the other cheek" and that this can be applied to the relations with other nations. Christ however was selling a code between individuals.  Jimmy Carter was a man of integrity but one of our worst recent presidents.  The difficulty is not that Character and Integrity do not apply but the application of those virtues requires different application in a world filled with nation states and non-state tribes bent on destruction.

Strategic Vision Requires Integration of More Variables Than A Chess Master

     Public Opinion In a democracy an important variable impinges on when a leader may divulge his vision. First there is what the public is ready to accept or demands.  This type of public vision is most often seen in the pre-election phase but even after election a leader cannot get too far ahead of followers.  The second type vision is the private or strategic vision that an intelligent, experienced leader knows should be done but is restrained because the people or Congress are not ready to consider.

    Priorities  A second variable is the question of priorities and priorities are not always under the control of the leader.

    Opportunity A third important variable is the question of waiting for opportunity.  It is true that some leaders find ways to create crisis which opens up opportunity for major change.

Superior political leadership must have: Integrity, Vision, Common sense, and must be well-spoken and have a capacity to make hard decisions. We have discussed known recent Presidents and candidates, not because they are the best examples, but because they should be within current knowledge of most people. We use these examples knowing that "politics is local" and State and local politician leaders need the same qualities.

While integrity is essential it has frequently been overlooked in politicians who had a vision and were well-spoken. Clinton is a possible example of a well spoken leader who lacked integrity. Politicians who are guided solely by polls, who have demonstrated a willingness to, "promise anything as long as it will get me elected", lack integrity/

Vision is the unusual ability to forecast where events are trending and what measures are required and possible in this age and time. While is essential is is not enough. It is perhaps best gaged by demonstrated ability in forecasting and adopting of appropriate measures. Bush the elder is possibly an example of the failure of a bureaucratic "in box outfox" approach to leadership of little vision. Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan are examples of what well-spoken vision can accomplish when combined with the other traits ,

Common sense is an uncommon thing. Some of the most intelligent people totally lack it but people with common sense have a quality superior to those with intelligence by lacking common sense. Clinton and Nixon apparently let sexual drive and paranoia override their intelligence and their lack of common sense severely damaged the nation. Lack of common sense is frequently more easy to identify than possession.

Capacity to make hard decisions can be called by many names but is more frequently exhibited when leaders are required to cause damage to individuals or a larger group for the benefit of the many. It is most easily demonstrated in successful combat leaders who have the understanding that some must die. Not all potential leaders have such experience and having such experience does not insure that the other required qualities are present.

In some cases the absence of the capacity to make hard decisions can best be seen in those who are convinced that Love and negotiation can cure all problems. Carter is an example of this. Integrity,intelligence and love Carter had in spades and in electing him the nation filled a pressing need for those things and overlooked proved experience in making hard decisions. His obsession with detail may also be an indicator of a potential leader who lacks the ability to make hard decisions.

“The Great man of the age is the one who can put into words the will of his age, tell his age what its will is, and accomplish it. What he does is the heart and essence of his age, he actualizes his age” Hegel

Being well-spoken is probably an easier acquired trait yet many politicians fail to attain the required measure. Both Bush the younger and Gore have the intelligence and education that would promise such a quality but they both lack the knack of speaking well and inspiring trust. Lacking that quality lead many to question their intelligence and other required qualities. Had either party chosen an individual with this quality the last election would have been a walk-away.

Charisma can stem from this ability and Clinton's apologists are obviously charmed despite his lack of other qualities. Without this quality. leadership is difficult and trust and confidence is impaired. A well-spoken person can accomplish a magical trick in hard times and that is to inspire hope when there are few reasons for hope.

The Most Important Phase of Strategic Vision

Other Factors

    When the country is in a funk as it seems to be in 2008 "Change" becomes a magic mantra for those

Identifying and eliminating losers, crooks and the corrupt. Sometimes the more important question in local politics is how do you identify and defeat the losers, crooks and morally corrupt that everyone knows is a crook or corrupt but the populace finds attractive. We'll leave that question for a later time.  Perhaps the attraction is some see this corruption as "gumption" --the ability to do something that they might not dare

We talk of leaders having vision. We intend to explore some examples of issues and potential leader visions. We will try to do so without abusing our position as honest broker. A national-level leader should have some idea of what opportunities might exist for positive solutions to serious questions. When we have jointly worked the issues each vision should become more clear.

A Strategic Vision Must Address The Major Issues

Some Examples Follow

What should be done about Energy and the Environment.  Since carbon appears to be a major problem one issue cannot be addressed without the other.

What should we do about the reconstruction of Afghanistan? According to most reports the rebuilding of a Afghanistan is failing despite the large amount of funds being pumped in by Non-governmental organizations. How should or could an effort like the Marshall plan be constructed for Afghanistan. How can we help convert the armed bands and insure that technologists required are available in country? Do we face the same problem if the Iraq conflict occurs?

What should the U.S. position on Iran be and how can we get there? While Iran still has serious problems with oversight rule by religious leaders there is a serious push by democratic elements for a real democracy. 

In terms of responding to psychopaths, is there an alternative to war and the killing of innocents? Those who despair of war might seriously consider the establishment of a new international court empowered to try, convict, and sentence psychopathic national leaders. Liberals and conservatives alike might find the establishment of such a court both humane and effective. A leader however must have a vision of how to deal with these type individuals

Since the United Nations is unable to act forcefully against tyrants and NATO  no longer has adequate military strength  how should the U.S. and it's allies effect action against tyrants, terrorism and societies without order.

The creation of regional defense agreements is recognized under the United Nations. Is it time to generate permanent organizations for the Middle East and for Africa? Could a more responsive command structure and troops be created or assigned? Turkey, the Emirates and Egypt could provide part of structure.  Could it be time to arm and create a "Free Legion" from the dispossessed of the regions with support for families of participants?

Nation Building

What should be our new approach to "Nation Building", the term we use for what we do after we use military force to rectify violence within a nation state. Vietnam, Haiti Bosnia, and now Afghanistan are examples of failure and incipient failure. The problem is that we have tended to leave it to the UN to solve this problem and the U.N. as well as our own efforts in Haiti and Bosnia, as prime examples, do not inspire confidence.

Self-interest is the glue of effective relations between most states and long term self-interest is the best glue. Instead of getting countries to commit funds for use by an NGO or the U.N. we need to go back to a slightly modified method on insuring individual state self interest in assisting in Nation building. In Afghanistan for instance we should have asked for state support and participation in "sectors" of the Afghanistan economy. Canada; for large transport airlines in country for instance. France for a commitment to intra-city rails lines. Spain to intra-city bus lines. Japan to a revitalized education system.

Pick your country and your sector but we might offer to an individual country the opportunity and the duty of developing the infrastructure and the training for a revitalized sector of the country.

With this technique, and a twenty year mandate, the opportunity for self interest to energize and drive development of a destroyed economy is apparent. If set up so that the militarized factions are drawn into the sector training then the manpower for continual factional fighting is greatly diminished.

Globalization Questions: For those who think they have all the answers or for those who have none of the answers you may want to check what Digital Divide Data has done in Cambodia. Search Google for some of the information. http://www.digitaldividedata.com/about/about_mngTeam.htm

What is the value of Mandatory National Service for the country? A leader with vision and the opportunity of propitious timing can, with Mandatory National Service, have a major impact on improving Citizenship, understanding between national classes and races, health care, education, crime and the national budget. The advantages have been proved over time. The political opposition, including leadership in Defense, is as great as are the advantages to the nation. A national leader with vision would talk to Charlie Moskos, a professor of sociology at Northwestern University, who is the acknowledged authority on the subject. The next crisis will provide the opportunity to solve many of the Nation's problems with one program.

National Issues

What about legally enforceable Creeds or "Standards of Conduct"as improvements on Commercial Integrity?

Ombudsman for Institutions seems to work well in other countries. Could more use Ombudsmen assist in solving current disrespect and problems with government?

Flat Tax with exclusion for lower earnings as more efficient and fair. Is this the solution or is there a better way to go?

Are stringent establishment of civil contracts a way out of divorce issues while improving child care?

Should sex that results in children or disease imply a civil contract for support of the affected?