Where are they now that we, the men whom they sent off to war, have returned? These are commanders who read more

Where are they now that we, the men whom they sent off to war, have returned? These are commanders who have deserted their troops, and there is no more serious crime in the law of war. The Army says they never leave their wounded. The Marines say they never leave even their dead. These men have left all the casualties and retreated behind a pious shield of public rectitude. They have left the real stuff of their reputation bleaching behind them in the sun in this country.

It would be hard to blame you for having trouble taking much of what is said in Washington seriously. You read more

It would be hard to blame you for having trouble taking much of what is said in Washington seriously. You heard about the Medicare actuary who was forced to fudge the numbers and lie to Congress to keep his job. You heard the falsified numbers in Iraq on everything from the cost of the war to the number of trained Iraqi troops to a slam dunk case for weapons of mass destruction. You heard about the administration sponsored fake newscasts to mislead people all across America.

And I’ll tell you, few things make me more angry than some out of touch Washington politician saying that Head read more

And I’ll tell you, few things make me more angry than some out of touch Washington politician saying that Head Start doesn’t work. That’s a flat out lie and it’s disrespectful to you and the tens of thousands of Americans who make this program work for children every single day.

Whether a man is burdened by power or enjoys power; whether he is trapped by responsibility or made free by read more

Whether a man is burdened by power or enjoys power; whether he is trapped by responsibility or made free by it; whether he is moved by other people and outer forces or moves them -- this is of the essence of leadership.

When you see Washington consistently turning a blind eye to suffering, don’t sit back and apathetically blame indifference. The loudest read more

When you see Washington consistently turning a blind eye to suffering, don’t sit back and apathetically blame indifference. The loudest voices may be delivering the worst messages today, but history shows that grass-roots energy has the power to change anything when that energy is focused toward justice

Much of the self-righteous nonsense that abounds on so many subjects cannot stand up to three questions: (1) Compared to read more

Much of the self-righteous nonsense that abounds on so many subjects cannot stand up to three questions: (1) Compared to what? (2) At what cost? and (3) What are the hard facts?

Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it.

Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it.

Our government has a simple task: recognize our nation’s real problems, and address them in a manner that reflects the read more

Our government has a simple task: recognize our nation’s real problems, and address them in a manner that reflects the priorities of the American people. It sounds simple, but it’s not happening today, and I know you’re as frustrated with Washington as I am

The leader can never close the gap between himself and the group. If he does, he is no longer what read more

The leader can never close the gap between himself and the group. If he does, he is no longer what he must be. He must walk a tightrope between the consent he must win and the control he must exert.