Whatever happened to....

Hey folks, remember health care? Gosh, I miss it. Seemed like only yesterday.....

I guess h.c. is hanging out in the same undisclosed location as the deficit, unemployment, global warming, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the other world class challenges that preoccupied us for.....oh....ten minutes, at least. Once upon a time.

Our cup runneth over now....with oil. How long will it take before that story moves to page 3, then 7, then disappears altogether once the well is capped? Mission accomplished?

Let's face it, on a good day, We the People have the attention span of a lizard. And I'm as guilty as the next guy. We bounce around from one Issue of the Moment to the next. Then, back to American Idol.

I was reminded of this when I saw a sad photo of two guys in overalls on an unnamed Gulf of Mexico beach, cleaning up the mess. We media types will publish these pics for another week or three....and then...??

I don't want to come across as a Tom- Friedman-handwringing-woe-is-us kind of a guy. Grit and persistence and can-do-ism is hard wired in the American DNA. What's wrong?

Leadership.

These Obamites are starting to come across as the most arrogant SOB's we have seen since Cheney. Father Obama Knows Best. Hey, we got this one covered! Right? Uhhhh......

Not so fast, Barack. You're CEO now and accountable for results, not just uttering key words and phrases on demand. And results on the issues that matter are going to be a long time coming. Choose your battles and keep us informed, motivated, and challenged towards solutions we can all be a part of. Every day, every week. Progress, yes even big progress, is possible if our leaders keep their noses and ours to the grindstone.

The kind of leadership we are getting now is reactive and grudgingly communicative. It's just plain awful.