The death of Sen. Ted Kennedy, the scion of this country’s most prominent political dynasty, serves to highlight the desperate need for strong leaders, especially in times of national crisis.Kennedy has been the driving force behind almost every piece of major legislation on domestic policy for the last half century.Throughout almost five decades in the Senate, Kennedy fought for those who had no voice of their own. While he was born into privilege, wealth and power, he fought for all those who had none of the three.It is because of this great American hero that so many groups of people were given the rights they deserved, including people of color, women, the disabled and young people.With his death, we should take a look at the state of our own leadership.Throughout history, Louisiana has been, for better or worse, led by those with large personalities and even larger egos.The Pelican State currently lacks strong leadership. One has to look no further than Sen. David Vitter for example.Vitter leapt onto the national stage in 2007 when news broke that he had been a client of the infamous “D.C. Madam” while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.The senator never apologized to the people of this state directly or came clean about his actions, only asking forgiveness for his “serious sin.”Unfortunately, the senator’s indiscretions do not stop there.Earlier this year, Vitter set off an alarm at a D.C. area airport when he reportedly tried to open a closed boarding ramp door. He then allegedly threw a fit when told he would not be permitted to board the aircraft.And last week, the Louisiana Democratic Party filed an ethics complaint against Vitter for campaigning for reelection at taxpayer-funded town halls. According to the complaint, he has spent the better part of the meetings trashing his opponent in next year’s Senate race as opposed to talking to voters about actual issues.Yet,  Louisiana may get a chance at new leadership after events of the past couple of weeks.U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, announced he will enter the 2010 Senate race as a Democrat. Melancon, a conservative Blue Dog, is the state’s sole Democrat in the House of Representatives.There are rumors Lt. General Russel Honoré will enter the Republican primary against Vitter. Honoré can be remembered as the Creole general who was lauded after successfully leading the Joint Task Force Katrina.Another potential challenger is adult film star Stormy Daniels. Daniels, a Baton Rouge native, is being drafted by a grassroots network of supporters.After three major hurricanes in four years, Louisiana needs the best leadership it can possibly get. This state deserves better representation and a stronger commitment from leaders to the people of this state.Saturday marked the four-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Some progress has occurred in restoring Louisiana, but much more work still has yet to be completed.We need someone who will fight for Louisiana and have the courage to bring real reform and progress to a state that so desperately needs it — and so desperately deserves it.We need someone who will be a voice for our huddled masses. We need someone who will fight for better education for our youth, for health care for our uninsured and for more aid to our citizens devastated by Katrina, Rita and Gustav.At the end of the day, our state desperately needs a strong leader; we need a senator like Edward M. Kennedy.Stephen Schmitz is a 19-year-old sophomore majoring in mass communication from The Woodlands, Texas.  Follow him on Twitter @TDR_sschmitz.—-Contact Stephen Schmitz at [email protected]