EDUCATION MATTERS:Leading and the common good

When I say, We the People, I point to people on both sides of the political spectrum that have joined in their criticism of this war.

Generals in the military, the hierarchy in the Pentagon, former advisors to the president — more each day questioning both how this disaster originated and how badly it has been conducted.

George Washington warned about the divisiveness of factions way back in 1796. He spoke of a "unity in government being the edifice of our real independence." But he did not foresee a "loyal opposition" that would serve as a counterbalance to the accumulation of power by one group. The two men in his cabinet, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, formed the basis of our present two-party system and their divergent political philosophies are well represented in today's political climate. Hamilton would no doubt be pleased that the wealthiest Americans are given the most deference by our government. Jefferson, on the other hand, would have applauded the outcome of Nov. 7 as a true expression the people.

Now that our national fury has subsided (for most of us), why don't we start spending our billions on rounding up the real person who perpetrated Sept. 11, 2001? And just so that we get off on the right foot, here's just a suggestion: He's not in Iraq.

I have friends and family who will take issue with me here — but not, I believe, as strenuously as they have in the past. What I might call a colossal failure in leadership, they would be more inclined to characterize as honest mistakes. A "culture of corruption" (the list grows long) gets mitigated to "that's the real world." Different perspectives, but a general consensus. It's time for a change.

Tuesday we saw some very good people ousted from their seats in Congress. I've got to believe some of them now regret being more loyal to a party label than to their own better instincts.