Over the weekend, I obtained an advance reader's copy of Gen. Wesley Clark's new book, with September publication date. It is called "A Time to Lead: For Duty, Honor, and Country" As you can tell by the title, it sure seems like a campaign manifesto. The book is all about how there is a leadership void in this country. Clark recounts stories of his time serving in the military and how strong leadership countered bad circumstances. He thinks the problems in this country all come down to a lack of bold leadership, to a constant yielding to a committee mentality where so many voices in a room are shouting out that none get heard, and where decisive action gets bogged down in the need for consensus here and there. He points out that in a war zone on the frontline, if you overthink things, if you spend too much time weighing percentages and demanding other people's opinions, you risk getting overrun by the enemy. He says that what Bush, and even other past presidents have lacked, is the ability and willingness to act boldly and decisively, to actually BE a leader, who has the power of his convictions and the heart to carry them out.
This shouldn't be taken as a full review of the book because I haven't finished it yet, and this is an advance copy I'm reading that could still be changed before the final edition. With that disclaimer, I'll say that Clark makes some credible points. If we elect leaders who are legislators, should we surprised if they lead with a legislative mentality, a committee mentality, and not with a command mentality, an executive mentality?
Clearly Clark seems to be taking aim at Hillary Clinton. He's a general, he's a bold, decisive leader not afraid to make hard decisions. She is a legislator, she looks for consensus and weighs the odds. I'm hoping that he does decide to run, because that is a contrast worth making. The arguments in this book are worth considering in deciding the kind of president we want to have.
Has anyone heard anything about Clark running though? Surely if he is running, he'd be raising money by now? I guess its possible he signed the deal for this book last year when he thought he was running. Or maybe the September release date (listed on the back cover of the review copy) is part of his strategy. He could be hoping that Obama or Edwards fade, and then he can get into the race as the fresh alternative to Hillary. In any case, I like Clark and I hope he runs.
[1] | 
[2] | 
[3] | 
[4] | 
[5] | 
[6]