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.

And lo and behold, people were amazed: Washington was amazed. The country was amazed. And I was amazed that everybody read more

And lo and behold, people were amazed: Washington was amazed. The country was amazed. And I was amazed that everybody was amazed. Because what is going on that a senator doesn't act according to script, acts according to conscience, and everybody is taken aback?

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?

The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.

The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.

It’s a sorry statement about how broken Washington is that we could not take advantage of this unique and sad read more

It’s a sorry statement about how broken Washington is that we could not take advantage of this unique and sad moment in history and enact serious lobbying reform. We owed it to the people who sent us to Washington to root out corruption, and the Senate turned its back on a golden opportunity today.

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 task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.

The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.

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.