Cowen faces stiffer challenges than any of his recent predecessors

A leader whose job and whose performance is about his or her own ego never amounts to much.

The leader who is prepared to put his or her own ego second to the success of the project he or she is involved in is the leader who will be admired, respected and followed

BRIAN COWEN has a lot to learn. It may not look like that — he may, right now, seem like a man who has been preparing for leadership all his political life — but, believe me, he has a lot to learn. And if he doesn’t know that, he won’t last long.