A few days ago, I started reading the new book by Thomas Craughwell, Failures of the Presidents. Craughwell’s book covers stories from history that highlight that “Everyone makes mistakes, but when an American president blunders the result can be catastrophic” (front cover description). While I’ve only read the first couple of chapters, I started to think that an underlying problem was the sense of a need for decisive action. To many fall on the sword of black and white decisiveness while this world not only has many shades of gray, but the full spectrum of color.

Dale Carnegie, the author of the business book that after 70 years still is a top seller, How to Win Friends & Influence People, is quoted as saying, “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

Presidents and national leaders are people of action, but leadership requires more than decisive action. It requires knowing that action comes in many forms and decisiveness can have painful consequences when it is wrong. Decisive action, when it is the right action, requires thorough planning and flawless execution.

We don’t live in a perfect world, so while the best laid plans may still result in failure, failure is a life lesson. Failures are the building blocks that every leader has had to work with. You may think that accomplishments are the building blocks of leaders, but in this world, most accomplishments only follow failures. I get concerned when people purport to have never made mistakes or have regrets. I find those to either be lying or ignorant.

While Presidents and other leaders must make decisions, decisive actions are the inflexible, hard-lined barriers of the points of no return. Once the first bomb is dropped, there is no taking it back; and countering that action is a war of many dead soldiers and many dead civilians in harm’s way. Decisions are the directions in the path through life.  When leaders make decisions they learn from the experience and with each decision confidence and capability improve.

Craughwell’s book, while at first may seem to be satirical or be a book bashing failed leaders; it is actually a book filled with stories of some of the greatest presidents who have ever lead the USA. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison all have chapters in Craughwell’s book, but all are directly responsible for the success of an infant country on the brink of a new chapter in world history.

In the end, I guess I’m writing this to encourage all leaders, the next president included, that while a failure may be in the cards, failure doesn’t have to define you. It matters what other actions you take as well – how you respond to failure.

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Today is the State of Wisconsin Primary and for the first time in a long while I am at home instead of voting by absentee ballot. There are very few leadership positions as important as the Presidency of the United States, so I have been giving a lot of contemplation as to who I feel is the best leader for the next four-to-eight years.

John McCain

Back in 2000, I was a supporter for John McCain, a highly respectable patriot, knowledgeable and experienced candidate, and someone who is able to make better decisions than most. This year, he is the presumptive nominee with a clear and decisive lead of delegates for the Republican Party nomination.

With the DNC

This year, I am contemplating casting my vote in the Democratic Party. In Wisconsin, voters are allowed to register at the voting booth and select party affiliation at that time. By the way, the open primary registration of Wisconsin works to the advantage of Senators Obama and McCain who both do very well among independent voters.

Hillary Clinton

I honestly do not believe Senator Clinton to be the best choice. She is way too divisive for a leader. I think there would be more problems between the executive and legislative branches of government if she was elected. Do not misunderstand, I think she is very intelligent and capable as a politician, but I do not think she is who this country needs at this time.

Barack Obama

Senator Obama is, in my opinion, a highly influential leader. His oratorical abilities and celebrity status, allow him a great deal latitude from which to lead. I do not agree with every position that he takes, but I don’t 100% agree with every position that any of the candidates take. I do think that America needs an influential leader – someone who can inspire, influence, and provoke positive action.

Party Politics

As you can probably discern from this blog entry, I do not allow myself to be limited by political parties. I think it was George Washington, in his farewell address who warned against political parties and history has proven him to be accurate and wise. Great many problems have risen from party politics. Too many issues become a matter of competition to win than a decision to make for the best interest of the nation. The only good is the default mode of restraint in passing new legislation.

Jeffersonian Principle of Government

The Jeffersonian Principle of Government from our third President, Thomas Jefferson, is that government that governs best is that government that governs least. The division caused by a dual party system does keep the legislature in check, but too often distracts from issues that truly matter. There are thousands of young men and women who are dying in this nation’s wars in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and against terrorism. Too many people are struggling paycheck-to-paycheck in our economy, while fat-cat executives are given huge severance packages when they fail in their jobs. These two issues – war and economy – are the top two issues for me and most significant problems facing our nation at this time.

Casting my Vote to Make a Difference

So, today, I am going to cast my vote to play my role and be responsible for the governing of this nation. Freedom, of course, is not free. It comes with the high cost of responsibility. If we want to maintain a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” then we need to be responsible to fulfill our obligations by participating in the political process.

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