These are questions of what is right and what is wrong. If we cannot answer them, the reason is the temple stones have come crashing down. Now our political rhetoric has become so mean and nasty that I cannot imagine any reasonably sane individual being attracted to public service. The way to win elective office, particularly at the higher levels, is not to lay out a vision of what might be along with a plan for accomplishment. Rather, it is to attack and attack and attack your opponents for real or imagined shortcomings.
Colleagues refuse to censure the behavior, no matter how distasteful, because of politics.
Dozens of elected officials are not seeking re-election because of the new low in the level of political discourse. Unfortunately, the Washington I'm leaving is meaner than it was when I arrived - and that's not good for any of us. The temple of religion, the temple of government. Most of our cities are fallen houses, as is the family. The stones are crashing all around us.