BLACKWELL: Bailout brawl

Bravo, Ken! One thing you did not mention about statesmanship is that it really is a quality--when described in anyone other than a government official, or otherwise associated with a nation's leadership--generally described by such terms as wise; non-partisan; honest and forthright; responsible. Therefore, it could also be applied to a commentator--such as yourself. The latter term in the preceding list, "responsible," is a favourite of mine because in truth it defines freedom in the purest sense: Freedom is the privilege of exercising responsibility. If one takes the times ot refelct on that statement, disecting every word, one will see that, indeed, to the extent that a society exercises responsibility, that society enjoys freedom. It is the absence of responsibility that necessitates laws. If everyone behaved themselves, acted in consideration of others, we would need not laws. Such utter contempt for honesty and responsibility, on the part of the Democrat leadership, SHOULD be all that any voter needs to decide for whom to vote next month. Of course it will not be, primarily because of the same low ethics on the part of mainstream media--and the entertainment industry. It is more than refreshing to read your columns, Ken. You are one of the most gentlemanly objective commentators in the public sphere today. There is a small number with your insight, and there are some others with your decorum, but there are few indeed who possess both to the degree in which you do. Particularly important was your reference to John F. Kennedy, whose views and policies his own family and political descendants have already conveniently forgotten. If one analyses his economic, military, and energy policies, one will find that, were he alive today, he would be categorised as a conservative, and, like his friend Charlton Heston, find himself, ipso facto, a Republican.