Because of the deep impact the media has made, the election process focuses more on personality than leadership.

A leader of a large organization, corporate or political, is often not a very exciting person. A leader must make decisions and inevitably some of them will not be popular. A leader must be able to take the blame and give the credit. In the corporate world or in the military leaders are not chosen by popular appeal but by other experienced and trained leaders.

Our election cycle impedes the process. Our elected officials must focus on the next election cycle like many corporate executives focus on the quarterly earnings. The difference is that short term and long term earnings are more compatable (often, but certainly not always), than short term and long term political and foreign policies.

Both politically and internationally some of our more admired short term successes have been our biggest long term disasters. The reverse is true and it may be true now in our Middle Eastern Policy.

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