We need to call upon a real leader

What we need, ladies and gents, is a true world leader

A gentle reminder: Tuesday, Nov. 6, is Election Day – when Americans get to choose the next occupant of the White House.

This year, citizens can vote for the incumbent, Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee; or for the Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts.

This time around, there’s no third-party candidate of the stature of Ralph Nader or Ross Perot, for example, who’s thrown his or her hat in the ring.

And that’s may be our loss, since neither of the major party candidates has articulated – at least in the view of this writer – a clear vision of America’s future.

Instead, we’ve heard each candidate bash his opponent with the typical pronouncements of liberal and conservative rhetoric. We’ve heard Obama champion the role of government in helping rescue our sagging economy and, from Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, attacks on government spending and debt.

But there’s been little discussion about how America can be a player for good in a world beset from every angle with Herculean problems ranging from war to climate change to hunger to pollution, and beyond.

America can ill afford to stand alone on the global stage and our next leader must find a way to rally both parties and citizens of all stripes behind a movement aimed to uniting all nations in a common cause: cooperation for survival of the planet.

Pride in country can only go so far. America needs to broaden its horizons to win global partners for peace and prosperity for all.

– Ron Leir

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