We can echo the leadership principles of past presidents

AMA Leader Commentary. By Cecil B. Wilson, MD, Feb. 5, 2007.

AMA LEADER COMMENTARY

A few words about current events in medical practice

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A message to all AMA members from Cecil B. Wilson, MD, chair of the AMA Board of Trustees.

February is presidents month -- Abraham Lincoln's birthday is the 12th, George Washington's is the 22nd and Presidents Day, as ordained by Congress, is the 19th.

Each and all of these commemorative dates are a reminder for us to be grateful for the genius of American politics and the American governmental system.

They also are a reminder of the importance of leadership that was provided by these two icons of American history: Washington in the founding of our country and Lincoln in its preservation.

In addition, each reminds us that the United States of America is an exception to the rule of nationhood on a planet with a history of tyranny, despotism and exploitation by the strong over the weak.

In America, we have reversed the formula, describing ourselves as a government of the people, by the people and for the people. As a consequence, our national character is up-beat, positive and enthusiastic and is grounded in common sense. We don't wait for "wise men" to dictate. We listen to each other and make up our individual minds.

When we have failed, it has been because we brought insufficient thought and reason to the leadership provided. When we have succeeded, the sky has been no limit, as NASA proved.

Medicine is no exception. American medicine, at its best, has grown to be the envy of the world. The pages of this newspaper and the Journal of the American Medical Association testify not only to the complexity and constant change characteristic of medicine but also to the progress and ultimate public good achieved.