Churchill and the Lack of Modern Leadership

In the article, The Churchill Doctrine, Daniel Mandel reminds us of a few things. One, Churchill is a legend to all of us. His name is symbol of strength, leadership, courage, and colonial Britain. What few may know about him though is how he became who he is known to be. Churchill was not a successfully man until World War II. Churchill was not liked by his peers through most of his life. As a young man he was a soldier and he always remained one in thought and action throughout his career. Knowing that he was always destined for greatness, Churchill believed firmly that he would be a success. Even in the 10 years that he was not active politically, he still believed firmly that he would have an impact on the world. Churchill was in his 60's and 70's during this time. When he was called up to service again during World War II, he knew this was his chance. Churchill certainly made the most of it. Up until the day he died, he always believed in the old guard and old Britain. Although his mother was American, he always believed in the aristocracy that was his birth right through his father. Growing up in the days when Britain was at the height of its power, he never lost sight of that period, that snapshot of time. Through the course of his life though, Britain changed dramatically. Churchil the man never changed. It was as Prime Minister that he had delivered of the most memorable speeches of his life and the 20th century. It was through these speeches that Churchill saw and warned the world of upcoming disasters. No one seemed to listen to him then, and certainly have not taken heed to his words and thoughts in the world we live in today. The article above ended with these words: "It will then be for you, for the Americans, to preserve and maintain the great heritage of the English-speaking peoples. It will be for you to think imperially, which means to think always of something higher and more vast than one own national interests." There is no one like Churchill alive today. These words are haunting America right now. No one is saying aloud to the world, watch out for Islamic extremists. Watch out for the decline of America as a super power. Watch out for self imposed segregation. Watch out for imposing economic crisis. Has anyone paid attention to what has been going on for the last 4 years? Is this the nihilism that Nietzsche warned us about? Has the unabombers manifesto never been read? Is anyone paying attention? Does anyone care? Is indifference that prevalent? I think the answer to that question is obvious. The real question is when is there going to be real leadership that truly takes care of our concerns not only as a nation, but as a race of human beings who all have one thing in common: our desire to make this world better for our children.