By Larry Olmstead

From a leadership perspective, it’s not too early to start thinking about Memorial Day 2008.

This year, we grieved over the nearly 3,500 American military personnel killed thus far in Iraq. What will the number be next year? What’s a leadership posture for dealing with this ongoing tragedy, one that has also killed untold numbers of insurgents and Iraqi civilians?

An important leadership trait is the ability to admit, “I was wrong.” President Bush and his advisers must start there. They should work on another key skill – listening – and commit aggressively to creative solutions that will resolve as much of this situation as possible on their watch.

Bush’s opponents must concede that, regardless of who is responsible for the Iraq debacle, the solutions will be complex and require careful thought and execution. Each side must give the other room to exercise leadership in a dignified manner.

Those who would be president must speak forthrightly about Iraq, in a way that gives evidence of their capabilities of leading the U.S. during complex and dangerous times.
Those of us who have platforms and pulpits must speak out, invoking the values and principles that are at the heart of our heritage – among them, courage, fairness, decency, respect for others’ beliefs and cultures and the will to do what is necessary to defend the U.S.

By next May, many of us will have had the chance to involve ourselves in our national political process. Let’s study the issues carefully, challenge the candidates, and above all, exercise our right to vote in primaries and ultimately the November general election.

That small act – the right to vote – is one of the cornerstone principles of freedom, a freedom for which tens of thousands of our countrymen have made the ultimate sacrifice. Sadly, more will give their lives by next Memorial Day. The responsible exercise of the vote is one small way to honor our brave servicemen and servicewomen. Let’s hope all of us can step up to acts of leadership, big and small, that by next year leave fewer of them in harm’s way.