Comments on The Belmont Club,"One last time"

Politicians can serve a useful purpose. Not as Priests interposing between us and the truth but as communicators. That is to say less as Priests than as Pastors or Rabbis. They become not administrative servants advancing their own careers but vessels of our values. When they do it right it is in no way about them and it is clear that they represent us and express the sentiments in our hearts. The Queen of England can do that brilliantly and she should have been there. She has nothing to prove and conveys the presence of her people. Reagan when acting as Head of State, rather than Head of Government, also served in that role. He was also gifted with the ability to articulate what we knew to be true but could not express as well as he did.

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My first Commanding Officer had worked his way up from Division Officer to Department head on the USS The Sullivans. Now we name warships after living politicians. What lesson does that teach to those who go in harm’s way?

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Tom Hanks was invited to Omaha Beach.
The Queen of England was not.
Her Prime Minister did not know where he was.