Lee Iaccoca...excerpt from his new book

[CHUCK]

Lee Iaccoca
> >
> > This makes sense no matter what political party you
> > might be
> > for......... The two party system ????
> >
> > Remember Lee Iaccoca, the man who rescued Chrysler
> > Corporation from it's
> > death throes? He has a new book, and here are some
> > excerpts.
> >
> > Lee Iaccoca Says:
> >
> > "Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with
> > what's happening?
> > Where the hell is our outrage? We should be
> > screaming bloody murder.
> > We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship
> > of state right over
> > a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us
> > blind, and we can't
> > even clean up after a hurricane much less build a
> > hybrid car. But
> > instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and
> > nods their heads when
> > the politicians say, "Stay the course"
> >
> > Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is
> > America, not the
> > damned "Titanic". I'll give you a sound bite:
> > "Throw all the bums out!"
> >
> > You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone
> > off my rocker, and
> > maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I
> > hardly recognize this
> > country anymore.
> >
> > The most famous business leaders are not the
> > innovators but the guys in
> > handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq , the
> > Middle East is burning
> > and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press
> > is waving 'pom-poms'
> > instead of asking hard questions. That's not the
> > promise of the
> > "America" my parents and yours traveled across the
> > ocean for. I've had
> > enough. How about you?
> >
> > I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a
> > patriot if you're not
> > outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to
> > have.
> >
> > The Biggest "C" is Crisis !
> >
> > Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in
> > times of crisis.
> > It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk
> > and talk theory.
> > Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've
> > never seen a
> > battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead
> > when your world comes
> > tumbling down.
> >
> > On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader
> > more than any other
> > time in our history. We needed a steady hand to
> > guide us out of the
> > ashes. A Hell of a Mess. So here's where we stand.
> > We're immersed in a
> > bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for
> > leaving. We're
> > running the biggest deficit in the history of the
> > country. We're losing
> > the manufacturing edge to Asia , while our
> > once-great companies are
> > getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas
> > prices are skyrocketing,
> > and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy.
> > Our schools are in
> > trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle
> > class is being
> > squeezed every which way. These are times that cry
> > out for leadership.
> >
> > But when you look around, you've got to ask: "Where
> > have all the
> > leaders gone?" Where are the curious, creative
> > communicators? Where
> > are the people of character, courage, conviction,
> > omnipotence, and
> > common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration,
> > but I think you get
> > the point.
> >
> > Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland
> > security than making
> > us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our
> > shampoo? We've
> > spent billions of dollars building a huge new
> > bureaucracy, and all we
> > know how to do is react to things that have already
> > happened.
> >
> > Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of
> > Hurricane Katrina.
> > Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating
> > the response to the
> > hurricane, or demanding accountability for the
> > decisions that were made
> > in the crucial hours after the storm. Everyone's
> > hunkering down,
> > fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again.
> > Now, that's just
> > crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan.
> > Figure out what
> > you're going to do the next time.
> >
> > Name me an industry leader who is thinking
> > creatively about how we can
> > restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who
> > would have believed
> > that there could ever be a time when "The Big Three"
> > referred to
> > Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and
> > more important, what
> > are we going to do about it?
> >
> > Name me a government leader who can articulate a
> > plan for paying down
> > the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing
> > the health care
> > problem. The silence is deafening. But these are
> > the crises that are
> > eating away at our country and milking the middle
> > class dry.
> >
> > I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't
> > elect you to sit on
> > your asses and do nothing and remain silent while
> > our democracy is being
> > hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with
> > mediocrity. What is
> > everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on Fox
> > News will call them a
> > name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show
> > some spine for a change?
> >
> > Had Enough?
> >
> > Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and
> > doom here. I'm trying
> > to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have
> > hope; I believe in
> > America . In my lifetime I've had the privilege of
> > living through some
> > of America's greatest moments. I've also
> > experienced some of our worst
> > crises: the "Great Depression", "World War II", the
> > "Korean War", the
> > "Kennedy Assassination", the "Vietnam War", the
> > 1970s oil crisis, and
> > the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11.
> > If I've learned
> > one thing, it's this:
> >
> > "You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines
> > waiting for
> > somebody else to take action. Whether it's building
> > a better car or
> > building a better future for our children, we all
> > have a role to play.
> > That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's
> > a call to "Action"
> > for people who, like me, believe in America . It's
> > not too late, but
> > it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the
> > crap and go to work.
> > Let's tell 'em all we've had "enough."

[sldghamr]

Lee Iacoca for Prez!!!!

[Barchetta]

Here is the entire excerpt for those that have the time to read it. The above has a few things missing.

Borders - Feature - Where Have All the Leaders Gone?

[Barchetta]

After reading that excerpt, it just seems like a whole lot of Bush bashing to me. Iacocca finds just the right thing to illustrate his point. With someone who leads such a public life as Bush, I am sure it isn't hard to find something to pick on.

If he feels so strongly about all this, why doesn't he run for President? He talks about "Where have all the leaders gone" but he's just really bashing the President. He should put his money where his mouth is and run. He did great things for Ford and Chrysler, can he do the same for this country?

[Dirk]

I like the guy, but that's one hell of a armchair quarterback statement.

[Barchetta]

Originally Posted by Dirk

I like the guy, but that's one hell of a armchair quarterback statement.

I couldn't agree with you more.