On leadership

In June 2003, General Eric Ken Shinseki in his farewell speech at his retirement ceremony, a departure forced upon him by the current US administration, warned against arrogance in leadership.

The comment he made then was very firm, and should come back to our minds, the day Barack Obama discloses his intention to appoint this four-star general as Secretary of the Veterans Department.

"You must love those you lead before you can be an effective leader," he said. "You can certainly command without that sense of commitment, but you cannot lead without it. And without leadership, command is a hollow experience, a vacuum often filled with mistrust and arrogance."

Gen. Shinseki is a very good choice. Once again President-elect Obama has shown he means business.