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View Full Version : The Washington Times bl calls Cicero and Ron Paul true statesmen; Chris Lee, not so much.




sailingaway
02-18-2011, 03:40 PM
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/castles-clouds/2011/feb/18/scandal-christopher-lee-and-washington-dc/

The rest of the article is on the corrupting influence of power, citing Hayek and Tolkein.


With these considerations now in the front of our minds, it is not difficult to see why so many politicians come across as self-important egomaniacs. For the politician tends to be just the sort of person who considers himself qualified to impose his will on others, whereas your two or three wise friends lack such hubris. The politician has a vision of reality that would work out splendidly, if only the troublesome citizens—who don’t know what’s good for them anyway—could be made to conform to it.

There are exceptions of course; there are true statesmen, like Cicero and Ron Paul. But an interesting point about statesmen is that much of their political energy is devoted to trying to reign in the ambitions of other politicians. Paradoxically, a politician becomes more a statesman to the extent to which he distrusts the political class. However, those in politics who are in it for politics’ sake, who are devoted to the state itself and not the citizenry that it allegedly exists to serve, seem to be in the majority at any given time.