Remember Lee Iacocca, He's now 82 years old and has a new book, 'Where Have All The Leaders Gone?'.

Lee Iacocca 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! (Iacocca  elaborates on nine C's of leadership, with crisis being the  first.)

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  kid 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 debit, 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 rear ends 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 NBC news or CNN 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 1970's 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.'
Make your  own contribution by sending this to everyone you know and care  about. It's our country, folks, and it's our future. Our  future is at stake!!