I vote for a leader who wants people to have control over their own lives. I question any candidate who seeks power. I don't care if he (or she) rationalizes the acquisition of that power as "caring" or "compassion." I have heard it all before.

A true leader has confidence in his or her constituents, and wants them to fend for themselves. In a national political context, a true leader wants all individuals to be free from the threat of force. He (or she) doesn't want to enslave part of the population to provide for the other part of the population. Only power-lusters would consider such a thing. Instead, a true leader wants everyone to be free, and nobody to be enslaved -- not for one minute, one hour or all the years of one's life.

No such leader is presently available. But this fact won't lead me to pretend that anything less is necessary. In a democracy, people get the leaders they deserve. But this won't happen until you set your sights on the right kind, and start rejecting the wrong kind.