A Man On A White Horse?
Much has changed since November 2008. Possibly the largest shift in the political landscape has been the rising wave of disgust at the entire, partisan, corruption-riddled, elitist, egotists currently in Washington.
Many voters yearn for an outsider, someone with authenticity, integrity and proven accomplishment. Someone who has not spent their life plotting how to ascend the greasy pole, adjusting every utterance for maximum political advantage.
In this toxic climate, perhaps the only public institution that has increased in prestige in recent years is the American military. Its officers are looked upon, as General George Patton once noted, as "the modern representatives of the demi-gods and heroes of antiquity".
I'm not so naive to buy that hyperbole. I know that the pole to ascend to general officer ranks is at least as greasy as the one for political gain. But I also know that deeply embedded in the military culture are the concepts of honor, integrity, patriotism, and self-sacrifice.
Without reaching as far as Patton and pronouncing them "demi-gods" I will say that if I were faced with a senior officer and a member of the US Congress and needed someone to hold my watch and wallet while I took a shower, I know who would get the job. And I would be damned cautious about taking a shower around any of those Congress-critters.
2 comments:
The rarest of politicians seem to be those of the self made type who have risen from a humble origin and made something of themselves in the real world.
Such people seem to avoid politics and yet I believe they are the ones we need the most.
The Nation was never supposed to have career politicians, Government was supposed to be made up of people who had lives outside the government so they would know exactly how they were affecting things. Now politicians are exempt from the laws they impose on the masses and walk free when committing crimes that would put anyone else in jail.
One conveniently timed asteroid that wipes everything and one inside the I495 Beltway would be a good start to improving things.
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