Looking for a Leader

I can think of a lot of things that America doesn't need. It doesn't need more partisanship. It doesn't need compromise to be second (or third or forth or fortieth) best in the world. It needs a consensus to be first! And it definitely doesn't need an "adult" in the room (I might scream if I hear that stupid, childish phrase again). I don't think that I'm in the minority in America when I say that I'm not looking for a Republican or for a Democrat, I'm looking for a leader. And here's what I'm looking for in a leader.

1. A leader takes responsibility -- If you become the captain of a ship, and the ship is sinking, there's no time to blame the old captain. There's no glory in watching the ship sink. It's your ship now. What are you going to do about it?

2. A leader leads by example -- If our leaders think we should be above partisanship, then they needs to be above it first. You can't say we need to work together in one breath and then attack the other side in the next.

3. A leader keeps people focused on the goal -- If the goal is to reduce unemployment, then calling the other party terrorists or socialists isn't getting us any closer. This works on both sides of the aisle.

4. A leader brings everybody along -- Leaders define a goal and move people toward it, gaining momentum along the way. When President Reagan finally implored Mr. Gorbachev to "tear down this wall" who could disagree? Now we have partisans who use a party line vote to get their way and complain when the other party does exactly the same thing.

5. A leader is a leader all the time -- You can't be a leader in your day job and be a partisan campaigner on the side. Leaders are authentic. I'm trying to find one.

6. A leader accepts wise counsel -- Leaders know that they don't know everything. Leaders surround themselves with people who can fill in their knowledge gaps. That usually means people with different points of view, not yes men (or women) who agree with everything they say.

If I were a betting man, I'd say the best leader will be the next president. President Obama, with his position, has the best chance of carrying the day. But he hasn't done it so far. He's 0 for 6 on my scale. Can he be a leader? Will somebody else step in to fill the leadership void? We'll all find out in a year or so.