Thank you, President Washington

A fitting tribute to America's first President.

Mighty Washington: The greatest President

Sometimes the cynicism that swarms around power like a vulture waiting to strike at any signs of decency weighs heavy on our nation's capital.

President Washington, a man known more for his humility than his strong political passions, was a healthy reminder that leadership does not necessarily mean having all the right answers. And his maintenance of slaves in the face of his own concerns of the ugliness of the institution reminds us that great leaders do not make all the right choices on matters of import at every juncture.

Noone does.

That's why we honor the man, today, who helped form a government committed to limiting the power of those would believe otherwise.

Thank you, Mr. President. For getting us started on this long and winding road to better judgment about governance and our fellow man.

Turning the page

President's Day. We have the day off. Been watching news coverage, this morning.

I have never seen Washington such a mess. Or the media. Or most people in the thick of politics, these days.

Thank goodness they all so unerringly have all the answers. Makes it easier to understand why they do such a poor job of listening to one another and engaging more thoughtfully about how to tackle problems together.

It's remarkable to me how much certainty people experience when they are sure they have all the right answers or all their friends agree with them. Or why their opponents are unerringly wrong.

Much easier than honest discussion, debate, and reflection. Self-congratulation. Much easier than self-correction.

Strange, when it is altogether clear to most Americans that what Washington needs, right now, is some correction. Though self-correction and a strong dose of humility is the only thing that will do any real good for that town, long-term.

Just like the rest of us.

Power does strange things to people. It gives pride the illusion of certainty. And animus the pretense of better judgment.

It allows everyone to believe that their outrage is the source of wisdom.

It just makes me tired, is the truth. Tired of watching a bunch of jackasses pretend they have more final answers than they have. And that their lack of use for more honest listening, engagement, and thoughtful debate and discussion is a consequence of their unchallengeable genius.

There is a reason that our wisest thinkers look skeptically on power. And on all of us who seek to wield it. Because we screw it up more than we get it right. And because we're so loathe to ever admit it.

That is the purpose of liberal democracies. To check that tendency. Not to embolden it.

And certainly not to pretend it's progress.

Perhaps it's time for all of us to turn the page and start again.