This essay argues that true leadership requires moral courage rather than the ability to motivate and coordinate others. Using Representative Barbara J. Lee's historic lone dissenting vote against the Authorization for Use of Military Force following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the paper distinguishes genuine leadership from mere administration. Drawing on Lee's speech to Congress, the essay examines how wartime nationalism suppresses dissent and how Lee's willingness to stand alone — at serious political risk — reflects an ethical compass rooted in conscience. Historical figures such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. are invoked as precedent for principled, unpopular moral stands.
If you asked an average group of Americans to describe what a leader is, chances are that most of them would describe a person who is able to motivate others to take action and get them to cooperate — that is, to work together to complete an important task. Although these characteristics are valuable and definitely make for a good administrator, they are not the characteristics of a true leader. A true leader is someone who is willing to take a moral stand on an issue and be the only one who does, no matter how unpopular such a stand may make him or her. In order to take a principled but unpopular moral stand, an ethical system must be in place that guides one toward moral decisions.
There are many fine administrators, but only a few real leaders. Historically, figures such as Jesus of Nazareth, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. were persecuted for their stands; however, despite that persecution they persisted in what they believed was right and true, and they made a great impact on society.
A more recent example of such a person is Representative Barbara J. Lee. Shortly after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Congress approved the President's right to "use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks" (Rhetoric of 9/11 web site). The vote was nearly unanimous. Only one congressional representative objected — California Democrat Barbara J. Lee — who explained afterward her conviction that the safety of our country does not lie with the military.
In her speech to Congress, she made clear that her decision was of an ethical and moral nature. Speaking of the September 11 attack, she said: "This unspeakable act upon the United States has really forced me...to rely on my moral compass, my conscience, and my God for direction" (Rhetoric of 9/11 web site). Congress gave overwhelming support for going to war. The media did not dissent. Flags flew all over the country. An emotional fervor of nationalism had swept across the nation.
"Wartime nationalism silences political dissent"
"Lee's ethical reasoning and personal political risk"
The Authorization for Use of Military Force passed 98–0 in the Senate and 420–1 in the House, making Lee's dissent one of the most solitary votes in modern congressional history.
In my estimation, this single act qualifies Barbara J. Lee as a true leader. It does not matter that nobody followed her example at the time. Leadership of this kind is rarely recognized immediately — it is vindicated by history. Most likely, we will see more of Lee's moral leadership in the future, and eventually people will listen.
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