DAVID GERGEN

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT (2009) 11/ 29

(GERGEN IS THE HEAD OF THE JOHN F. KENNEDY SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT AT HARVARD AND EDITOR AT LARGE FOR U.S. NEWS.

HE WAS A FORMER BOARD MEMBER OF THE ARLINGTON INSTITUTE.)

We have a National Deficit of Leadership. We have gone through cycles before in American history and we are in one now. This last confidence crisis has lasted at least

4 decades and was first noted by John Gardner. He said that when the USA was

founded and had 3 million we had plenty of leaders including  Washington, Jefferson, Franklin,

Adams, Madison, Hamilton and others. Where are they now Gergen asks? If you

try to act as a leader, you confront the blogsphere. However, there is more here.

Before Vietnam, there were many leaders of quality. It was a time that was far from ideal, such as

McCarthyism and Dallas. However, the overall mood was more positive. Where are the likes of Truman, Marshall, Eisenhower and Kennedy?

This is begging the question. We need them and we hope they shall arise.

(This issue introduces many potential new leaders.) A number of new leaders

were presented in numerous areas of the world of work.

21 NEW LEADERS ARE INTERVIEWED ALONG WITH

PRESIDENT OBAMA.