A little over a week ago I was listening to an interview; the guest made a comment that left me dumbfounded. The discussion was about how most Presidential candidates say they are going to change Washington, and even though they go there with the best of intentions the current system makes it impossible. The question was then asked, can anybody change Washington? The guest answered, "no". I couldn't believe what I was hearing. If nobody can change Washington, then the future of America looks bleak. I couldn't accept this, there must be a way to change Washington. After spending time thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that the answer is partly true. No single person can go to Washington and change it, at least not by themselves.

The only way this change will come is if we the people make it happen. I believe we're ready, the only thing we need is a leader. Martin Luther King shows us what can happen when one person leads a movement. Imagine if the person leading the movement is the President. I believe we the people could still change Washington even if that leader wasn't President, but it certainly would be easier if that leader is our President. A united America will not be denied, but without a leader we will be little more than an angry mob. To change Washington is going to require much sacrifice and commitment on our part. These things don't happen by themselves, it is through inspirational leadership that they are possible. Essential to this effort is unity. Anyone can bring together people who share common beliefs, but the leader we need must be able to unite people with opposing beliefs. If we want  to change Washington, we must elect a President who can do more than energize their base.

I'm leery of those candidates who think being President means being the CEO of America. We are a country, not a corporation. Those who work under a CEO are getting paid for doing their job. Being a good citizen comes with no pay; as a matter of fact we are doing the paying. In a corporation the CEO runs the company, but in America the people are supposed to run the country. A CEO doesn't try to inspire the workers to run the company. This is what these people don't get, a President must inspire the people to run their country. A President must be able to get people to do their job; unlike a CEO the President can't fire us for not doing our job. If we keep electing people who think their job is to run the country, there will never be change in Washington. 

Of course the question must be asked, do we really want to change Washington? The media seems to be anointing Hillary Clinton and John McCain as the current front runners. I hope they are wrong as these are the two people with the most time in Washington. All this talk of change and the leading candidates are the ones most deeply entrenched in the very thing we want to change? This is insanity. Even crazier is that about 70% of the people want to bring the Iraq war to an end, yet these two candidates are the ones who were most supportive of it in the beginning. Maybe we really do want to change Washington, but the fear of change keeps us from pulling the lever that will bring it. This again brings us back to inspiration and points out the need for a leader who will inspire the necessary courage to change Washington.