The founders had the idea that the citizenry, if left alone, would minister to itself. And that was because people, if left to their own devices, didn't need a whole lot of managing. I'm not sure that's true. But the way politics has evolved in the last two decades has debased the very idea that it can have meaning in our lives. And that is sad.
High office is a public trust, and so many have squandered that trust.
Most people today see public servants as serving their own ambition, not the public. It doesn't have to be that way. It would be nice if George W. Bush could try to change that. He said all the right things on Wednesday night, that he was elected to serve not party but country. But every politician who wins a close election sings the song of bipartisanship.