On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 05:57:03 -0800, Larry Jaques wrote:

I'm with you, Mike. I don't think there's a politician allive who had
the intelligence, foresight, determination, call of duty, self-
lessness, or moral ethics of our forefathers. And, unfortunately, I
don't expect to ever see that from a politician in my lifetime.

There's something in what you say, but remember that politicians back
then didn't have mass media and modern marketing techniques. Who knows
how they would have behaved with those tools.

And some of our history is legend. All countries have them and they may
or may not have much of a basis in fact. For example, Washington may not
have wanted to be king, but he supported Adams who wrote the quote below.
And moral ethics? Check out Ben Franklin in France :-). Always remember
that the winners write the history books.

€œDemocracy... while it lasts is more bloody than either [aristocracy or
monarchy]. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes,
exhausts, and murders itself. There is never a democracy that did not
commit suicide.€� John Adams





--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw