Pulitzer Prize winner draws hundreds at U of C for talk on ethical leadership

Hundreds packed the University of the Cumberlands’ O. Wayne Rollins Center Tuesday night to listen a Pulitzer Prize winning writer, who The Financial Times has called the most influential commentator in America.

Dr. Charles Krauthammer spoke about "Ethical Leadership" as part of the Forcht Group of Kentucky Center for Excellence in Leadership’s annual lecture series.

"My topic tonight is ethical leadership. Now considering the town I come from, Washington, and what’s been happening there, it’s liable to be a very short talk," Krauthammer joked. "What I would like to do is try and illuminate some of the characteristics of ethical leadership."

Krauthammer is a contributing editor to The Weekly Standard and The New Republic, and is a weekly panelist on Inside Washington. He is also a contributor to Fox News, appearing nightly on Fox’s evening news program, Special Report with Bret Baier.

In 1987, he won the Pulitzer Price for distinguished commentary.

Krauthammer has been honored from every part of the political spectrum for his bold and original writing, including the famously liberal People for the American Way and the staunchly conservative Bradley Foundation.

He has been described by MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough as "without a doubt the most powerful force in American conservatism."

Krauthammer said the first thing to look for when seeking ethical leadership is honesty and transparency.

The example he cited, which may surprise many, was Barack Obama’s second inaugural address.

"Here is where I really have to hand it to Barack Obama because he was remarkably candid that was one of the most unusually candid inaugural addresses," Krauthammer said. "He was remarkably honest about what his agenda was. He basically got up there and said I want to transform America."

The three things that Obama wanted to transform were healthcare, education and energy.

Krauthammer noted that healthcare accounts for one-sixth of the American economy.

If the government gains control of energy like the federal government wants to over the production and pricing of energy, then the government basically controls the industrial economy.

"Energy is the life blood of the industrial economy," Krauthammer noted.

The last thing Obama wants to essentially nationalize education, specifically higher education.

"This is a pretty ambitious agenda," Krauthammer said.

While many people call Obama a socialist, what he really is a social democrat along the lines of the European socialist party, Krauthammer said.

"Obama is a social democrat. Whenever he sees something large, he wants to nationalize it," Krauthammer noted. "I give him credit for being honest. I give him credit for openly saying who he is."

Another virtue of ethical leadership is modesty, which Krauthammer noted Obama doesn’t get as high marks in.

In addition still another virtue of ethical leadership is simple honesty, which is more defined as corruption in Washington.
Washington has a lot of corruption but not in the sense of stealing money, Krauthammer noted. It is in the sense that there is a great temptation to put party over country or anything people can do to increase their own power at the expense of the other side.

The annual lecture series is made possible by an endowment from local business owners Dr. Terry and Marion Forcht, who founded the Forcht Group of Kentucky Center for Excellence in Leadership in 2006. The purpose of the Center is to provide programs and activities that enhance the development of leadership, character and good citizenship.

Past speakers in the series have included Roy Moore, Zell Miller, Stephen Covey, Ben Stein, Karl Rove, Mike Huckabee and Rudi Giuliani.

During Tuesday’s program, University of the Cumberlands President Dr. James Taylor and Krauthammer handed out leadership awards to several people, including: Sara Beth Gregory, Stephen R. Hall, Joseph Daniel Jones, Owen T. Nichols, Albert Robinson and Robert Stivers.