The Wizard Of Oz was a perennial favorite of my youth. Dorothy Scarecrow Tinman and the Cowardly Lion’s search for the Wizard was a quest that involved the yellow brick road and good and bad witches not to mention flying monkeys. The story had it all.

Wizard Of Oz had all of the answers to life’s persistent questions but he was unattainable and ensconced in his castle away from the little people. He was a massive big head that must be obeyed without question. His assistants demanded obeisance shown for Mr. Wizard. The marvelous appearance of his big knowing head and fiery rhetoric ensured he had all the answers. He was the leader.

As I watched the movie Civil War one of the characters who was a veteran reporter for What was Left of the New York Times told a new reporter that once you meet the human who is the leader it is usually disappointing as they were not the great leader that they portrayed themselves to be. The final scene of the movie illustrates this.

The Emporer loved his new clothes. All his sycophants agreed that he had the most luxurious royal garments. The Emporer was naked.

It is possible to look behind the Wizard Of Oz’s Curtain. Ignore the self-serving comments and bloviating. Look and see if what the Wizard says matches what he or she does. Measure if love is the motivation of the Wiz…or lust. Power is a compelling aphrodisiac.

Is the Wiz a leader for good or a sleepy old man with a child mind and the instincts of the schoolyard bully?