Senators McCain and Obama are now each saying they are the "change" candidate. "Hitch your wagon to me," they tell us," and change will come!" They are also tooting their own horns and touting their various past accomplishments. What, no screw ups?
As a leadership development professional, I say it's high time both dudes-in-waiting show personal accountability for the not-so-pretty aspects of where were are today (economy=crapper, occupation of Iraq=ill-advised, taking too long, costing too much, not strategic enough, America's standing around the globe=same crapper, and the list goes on.)
After all, both candidates have been big cogs in the machine that got us to where we are today, a fact that didn't have a speaker's slot at either party convention over the last two weeks.
As two sitting Senators, each Presidential nominee has had a role, either by commission or omission, in getting us to the point at which change is so desperately needed. Once they've acknowledged that, I might be more inclined to buy the change message.
How about: "I'm John McCain / I'm Barack Obama, and I've been a Senator for 26 years / 12 years (8 years as a State Senator, and 4 in Congress), and I have an admission to make: as a nation, we are where we are--for better AND worse--in part, because of my leadership, and/or my own failure to lead. I take full responsibility, as it happened on my watch. I will do better as President."
Accountability (rather than blaming everything on "Washington Insiders" or "Media Elite" or "Bush" or "Eurpoeans")? Now that's leadership, and Change--with a big-boy capital C.