There are a number of little books of wisdom on the market, including "What Would Jesus Do?" and "What Would Buddha Do?".Over dinner tonight, I was thinking about the present Republican Party, comparing it and its leaders to that and those which have come before.And then the question hit me. "What would Barry Goldwater do about Iraq?".If you're too young to know, Mr.
Goldwater was a proud, self- proclaimed "conservative," a U.S. Senator from Arizona, and the Republican Presidential nominee, in 1964. As craggy in appearance as the driest desert, lean and a little severe looking, he aroused mostly two responses in people: love or hate.There was no being indifferent when it came to this gentleman.
And he spoke his mind. When it came to Vietnam, his policy was simple: do everything it takes to win, or leave.He was accused, falsely as history will probably conclude, as a warmonger. Memorable TV ads paid for by his opponents showed innocent little girls picking flower petals while a nuclear bomb prepared to blast in the background.I think the Senator would have us do two things:.(1) Fortify our military and political presence in friendly Middle Eastern countries; and.
(2) Pull our troops out of Iraq, as soon as possible.These endeavors are related, they're rational, and they preserve and protect our assets, while enabling us to stage military initiatives when a suitable crisis calls.Doing these things would send a signal that we're willing to revise tactics, yet we stand by our commitments to Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and any other friendly regimes.At the same time, we wouldn't be cutting and running, to borrow the often used, and derided phrase.
The current batch of Republicans, including Presidential aspirant, Senator John McCain of Arizona, would do well to "channel" Barry Goldwater every now and then.It would offer a good lesson in leadership and in the pragmatics of conducting a war.
.Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of www.Customersatisfaction.
com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.
D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate.
He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.
By: Dr. Gary S. Goodman
