What kind of leaders do we want?

The greatness of a political leader is not determined by whether he tells the truth or not.

A true leader is one who is willing to go against the tide of public sentiment because he believes he is doing the right thing for the country. This is the kind of individual that goes down in history as a great political man.

I frequently think about Eleftherios Venizelos speaking to the people of Athens. The crowd was in a frenzy. The people shouted that they wanted a constitutional assembly. Venizelos brought his hand on the podium and responded, "I said revisionist [assembly]."

It was a moment that defined him as a leader. It wasn't easy, neither was what he did a given.

I then think of Constantine Karamanlis who, while staring at the leftist and PASOK MPs in Parliament, said firmly, "Whether you want it or not, we belong to the West." It certainly took courage...