GEORGE ARCHIBALD

LEADERSHIP

You can take this to the bank: Rudolph Giuliani will be the next president of the United States.

Steve Forbes, one of America’s brightest business leaders and former presidential candidate himself has signed on to the Giuliani campaign, calling New York City’s former mayor at the time of 9/11 one of America’s greatest leaders.

Leadership is what we want. And when you look at the field of candidates running for president in both parties, Rudy Giuliani steps out so far ahead of everyone else.

Hillary Clinton is a boring policy wonk who tried to get a health-care paclage done when her husband was president, but fizzled out then, and she’s fizzling now in a Democratic primary race where freshman Senator Barack Obama is on fire because Democrats want a fresh face. Hillary has flip-flopped on the Iraq war and everything else, proving herself just another untrustworthy career politician.

New Mexico’s Governor Bill Richardson, formerly United Nations ambassador for Bill Clinton, is a more likely Democratic presidential nominee. Watch him come from behind on the Democratic side.

But Rudy Giuliani will get the Republican nomination, and he will smoke all comers, believe me, because the man exudes leadership, has terrific status as America’s mayor during and after 9/11, and is the type of leader the American public wants after George W. Bush leaves office.

Take it to the bank. Rudolph Giuliani will be the next president of the United States.

THAT SOARING VOICE

Christina Aguilera’s soaring voice on her album “Back to Basics” makes a few points for culture and renewal.

In a song called “Hurt,” she remembers her father and tells him she does not blame him any more.  “Some days I feel broke inside … I’m sorry for blaming you for everything. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to just have one more chance to look into your eyes, and see you looking back. I’m sorry for blaming you for everything.”

In another song, called “Mercy on Me,” her voice soars again: “Jesus, I must confess,  that in all my loneliness I’ve forsaken and I’ve sinned, leaving fragments of a man so broken.

“I could tell you what I’ve done, or should I tell you where I went wrong? Well, the more that I start to play, yeah, my deceitful evil ways keep growing stronger by the day.

“Oh Lord, have mercy on my soul, for I have walked a sinful road, so I’m gonna get down on my knees, beg forgiveness to set me free.  Lord have mercy on me, please. Mother Mary, full of grace, in my weakness I’ve lost faith. I’ve been careless and I have been warned, and the devil inside me is torn. God bless the man that I have scorned.”

It’s powerful stuff. Her soaring voice makes you cheer.

Reminds me of other great voices: Bette Midler, Olivia Newton-John, Barbra Streisand, Sarah Brightman, Elton John, Michael Bolton, Kiri Te Kanawa, Russell Watson, Josh Groban, Johnny Cash, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Whitney Houston,  – and the newer ones: Tina Arena, Justin Timberlake, James Blunt, John Mayer, Carrie Underwood, Mary J. Blige. Going back a few years, even Enrico Caruso, Elizabeth Schwartzkopf, Luciano Pavorotti, Placido Domingo, José Carreras, Andrea Bocelli.

All soaring voices, with guitar, piano, strings, pipes, saxophone, and perhaps the wonderful oboe.

There is nothing better to soothe the heart than Glenn Gould playing Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier and Goldberg Variations, Daniel Barenboim playing Beethoven’s piano sonatas, or Herbert von Karajan and George Szell leading their orchestras in soaring pieces by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Rimsky-Korsakov, Elgar, Vaughan Williams, or Wagner. No better musical theater than Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Then there is Hillsong Church’s Darlene Zschech from Sydney Australia if you want some uplifting praise music, the powerful organ of E. Power Biggs or Virgil Fox, Queen’s Brian May and the late Freddie Mercury, the Doors, U2, Aerosmith and the Dave Matthews Band if you want strong rhythm, Creedence Clearwater, Coldplay, and marvelous everything to soothe the soul or soar the heart from Billie Joel, Phil Collins, Frank Sinatra, and James Taylor.

Thanks to all the soaring musical voices and talent that envigorate us, uplift us, entertain us, and give us hope.