Submitted by John House, Jan 3, 2008 00:26

It is refreshing to hear someone acknowledge that we neither live in a perfect world nor understand the world we live in. I truly hope that our political candidates are listening.

Perhaps democratic institutions are earned, not endowed. Through tolerance, discipline, and the rule of law, we (albeit slowly and imperfectly) overcome our prejudices and contain our excesses by submitting to the insights of others, rather than impose our will through guile and maneuver. Hopefully our politicians and diplomats can share our experience with humility and support.

The alternatives are more of what we see in Gaza, Iran and Lebanon.

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.