The Cult of Leadership

Richard Cohen gives voice to one of the most irritating commonplace ideas about politics and history:

Without leadership, every problem is insurmountable. With it, no problem is unsolvable.

Oh, sure, if we just had the right leadership we would know what to do about work-life balance for parents, inequality, autism, malaria, declining biodiversity, terrorism, unemployment, drug addiction, climate change, cancer, and the Israel/Palestine mess (the actual subject of the essay). We would have fusion power, free internet without ads, affordable non-polluting cars with unlimited range, scheduled flights to Mars, and better pop music. And columnists who make sense.