Matt Jr. asks who some of my favorite leaders are what they have done to make themselves so. I will restrict my list to the realm of politics given the nature of the discussions on this forum. In the modern era, I would say Senator (and former Republican presidential candidate) Barry Goldwater is clearly my favorite politician. He exemplified what a Republican should stand for. He was an intransigent supporter of individual rights and did not believe that the Religious Right should have influence in politics. He was a fierce defender of American leadership in foreign affairs and was not--in any way--like the appeasers that reside in Washington now. Other leaders that I admire are former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former Pennsylvania Governor and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge for similar reasons.