What is Leadership?

I was disgusted while listening to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani. His attacks on Senator Obama are farfetched if not repulsive. Giuliani states, "Barack Obama has never lead anything, nothing, noda."

Excuse me Mr. Giuliani, Barack Obama has lead on several occasions. He's lead successful voter registration drive in Chicago and was a community organizer with a church-based group seeking to improve living conditions in poor neighborhoods. He became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. He practiced as a civil rights lawyer in Chicago and taught constitutional law. It's a slap in the face to those teachers and social workers in America who lead in the classroom and our urban streets daily. Are educators and social workers not leaders in our community? Are they not people who inspire and teach? How can you say Obama has never lead anything? Is Giuliani saying that corporate business owners who seek large salaries are better leaders than those who roll up their sleeves to work with the less fortunate in the trenches?

How can people say Barack Obama is privileged and elite when he continually took the job that was less showy, more serving to others, and yet much more meaningful? Refusing job offers with large salaries from large law firms is not an easy choice, but shows Barack's good judgment.

Personally I think leaders that serve our communities rather than serve the private sector are the BEST leaders. Senator Barack Obama is the type of leader I will follow. One who listens to his constituents, knows my needs, and inspires me to make America better by working in my community. If that's not leadership, I don't know what is.