That is what leadership is all about: staking your ground ahead of where opinion is and convincing people not simply following the popular opinion of the moment.

I am leaving because I have to fight simultaneously a potential recurrence of cancer the Democratic leadership a health care bill that's going to destroy this country my opposition to it and a belief that my party has become what it became - what it campaigned against.

And this administration and this House leadership have said quote-unquote they will stop at nothing to pass this health care bill. And now they've gotten rid of me and it will pass. You connect the dots.

The one thing I have learned as a CEO is that leadership at various levels is vastly different. When I was leading a function or a business there were certain demands and requirements to be a leader. As you move up the organization the requirements for leading that organization don't grow vertically they grow exponentially.

This Congress is simply not doing its job under Republican leadership.

Our democracy poses problems and these problems must and shall be solved by courageous leadership.

People look for their leadership to lead.

Even after such milestones as Kathryn Bigelow winning an Oscar there still seem to be few women in leadership roles.

It is sad that the Republican leadership is not as interested as they say they are in protecting the institution of marriage as they are in waging a campaign to divide and distract the American people from the real issues that need to be addressed.

The Chinese leadership hoped that the world would soon forget the Tiananmen Square massacre. Our job in Congress is to ensure that we never forget those who lost their lives in Tiananmen Square that day or the pro-democracy cause for which they fought.