Our choice

It's ironic. Watching this ad -



- and this ad -



- led me randomly to this ad -



The third is definitely the most inspired of the three.

But it rings hollow these days.

You can't talk about not being as divided as our politics suggests, about being one people and being one nation while you engage in divisive politics.

And the real problem, in this political moment, is that leading America as a united nation and as a united people, no matter what the cynics say, really is important.

Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Jack Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan all had their many, many flaws. None of them were infallible. All of them made very serious mistakes of policy and power.

But despite their often grave errors of judgment, one thing all of these Presidents have in common is that they led with a more genuine commitment to a united America and with a sincere concern for our common humanity, flaws and all.

The same cannot be said of all Americans or all American political leaders, or of all people or all political leaders anywhere. In fact, it can be said of all too few of us, really, honestly.

But if America does not have an option of a political leader who is more genuinely committed to all Americans and all people, generally, there is no possible way that he or she or America, herself, can claim to lead any other American or any other citizen anywhere.

People can only follow leaders who are genuinely committed to their interests.

And if America cannot offer up a candidate who is genuinely committed in such a way then she will suffer for as long as that is the case and there is no possible way that she can claim to lead the world.

Americans, especially Barack Obama and John McCain will have to make a choice, this election.

They will have to choose to either lead others, Americans and people around the world, with a genuine commitment to them and their lives and interests. Or they will have to learn to live without the world looking to them for leadership and her President will have to learn to live without Americans looking to him or her for direction.

Power or leadership. That is the fundamental choice we face this election. It is abundantly clear to me that we cannot have both, at this point. Not really. If we choose the first, the second will be a charade, always, until we choose differently. And, at this point in our history, noone is going to pretend otherwise until we have real leadership. Power is an inherent part of authority. But abusing that authority and rationalizing the abuse of power, as America has and continues to do, during this period, has consequences. Namely, it engenders the kind of mistrust that Americans feel in all branches of its government, right now.

The same will be true of America's relationship with the world. If America chooses to rationalize power this election, the world will continue in the direction it has already been taking: looking elsewhere than America for leadership. If America chooses more genuine leadership, we can offer a path that just might make some of the kinds of course corrections that America and the world needs given the challenges we face, namely corrections that more honestly expand freedom and democracy.

But continuing to rationalize power will not be confused with leadership for long. And this election and its very disappointing start illustrates that point well.

The fact is that America and the world are not inspired by a Karl Rove or a James Carville. They are not inspired by power-mongers and manipulators.

They are and will only be inspired by people who are more genuine leaders.

These two men were our best options from each party, I think, for all of my disagreements with them.

But if they cannot choose to lead by example and inspire a commitment of a united America to common cause, America and the world will just have to learn to live without such leadership for four years and see what that world is like until we can choose differently.

I would have thought that eight years of this ugliness would have been enough. And the eight years previous are too low a standard, at this point.

So the question for us is: will we choose more genuine leadership or not. And, if not, will we take responsibility when we deal with the consequences of that choice for another four years.

That is the choice before us, this election. It is a choice for Barack Obama. It is a choice for John McCain. And it is a choice for the American people.

And when all the dust clears, all of us will be responsible for that choice, no matter our protestations, our attempts to shift blame, and our excuses to the contrary.

It is the most important choice America has faced in the 21st century, thusfar, I think. May we choose wisely.