The thirst for leadership…of any kind

Grading papers from class and one student illustrated her point by including this quotation from The American President. Not a movie I’ve seen but like this little piece:

President’s Aid (Michael J. Fox): People want leadership, Mr. President, and in the absence of genuine leadership, they’ll listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. They want leadership. They’re so thirsty for it they’ll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there’s no water, they’ll drink the sand.

President: …People don’t drink the sand because they’re thirsty. They drink the sand because they don’t know the difference.

Sounds just about right.