Friedman does it again...

9/11 Is Over - New York Times

Tom Friedman continues to be one of the best at seeing the big picture and having some kind of vision. This column calling for a vision for America that looks beyond the 9/11-centric politics of the Bush Administration (which Giuliani seeks to ride to the White House) should be required reading for all the presidential hopefuls.

I have been thirsty my whole life for a politican with real vision. I have never really voted "for" a candidate - I've voted against the opponent. Most politicians don't treat the voters with respect - they play to the lowest common denominator and fear the voters wouldn't really understand or appreciate the real issues and challenges of the day. the one exception, interestingly enough, was Ross Perot, who, in a modern day version of FDR's firside chats, would buy time on network TV to explain the danger of exploding deficits and fiscal irresponsibility to the voters. Perot believed - correctly - that if you treated the voters with respect and didn't talk down to them or play to their worst instincts, they would understand and vote accordingly. As a result, Perot, in spite of his eccentricities, garnered almost 20 % of the vote and his crusade against deficits was adopted by Bill Clinton and Republicans in Congress in 1993. By the end of the 1990s, the budget had been balanced.

We need a politician today who will provide some real "straight talk" to the American public. Someone who will explain, again, why annual deficits and a debt over $9 trillion are irresponsible and limit our ability to deal with current and future challenges and crises and to invest properly for the future. Someone who will make clear the urgency of developing and deploying new energy technologies in the face of global warming and peak oil. Someone who will shine the light on the challenges and opportunities of the "flat" world Friedman wrote about so powerfully, making it clear that if we are to compete in the 21st century we will need to finally redress the inequities in education and provide a real path out of poverty while fixing our health care system. Someone who will help Americans see that foreign policy is more than fighting terrorism and deaing with Bush's failed war in Iraq.

That's a tall order, I know. I'll take someone who can provide a clear and compelling vision on one or two of those issues, I suppose. Oh, and I'd like some charisma, if possible. And character does matter - I'm tired of Presidents who lie about sex with interns and WMDs.

Too much to ask? No! This is the United States of America - a country that aspires to be the greatest on the planet and has only begun to tap into the enormous potential it's incredible citizenry possess. We deserve the best leadership possible. We deserve a candidate we are proud to vote for.