THE DONALD'S SINGLE VIRTUE

The Donald should not be President of these United States. He is too much the bully, too enamored of himself, too offensive in his speech, too simplistic in his solutions. His assertion in Thursday's debate that the military will do what he tells them to do--torture, kill families, violate the laws of war--is extremely offensive to this retired military guy. There's things called unlawful orders, Donald. U.S. soldiers ain't gonna be violating the Code of Conduct and International Law on the unlawful orders of a flawed President.


But The Donald is onto something. The fundamental problem with the U.S. political system over the last 30 or so years has been its rigidity. The Founding Fathers provided us with a system requiring compromise and flexibility. Oftentimes over the two and a half centuries of its existence, the nation has slipped from these principles into exhausting thickets of orthodoxy. Sign this pledge. Swear allegiance to this position. No compromise. My way or the highway. The result is that during these periods of myopia, few problems get addressed, few actions for the public good are undertaken.


Although no political parties have been without guilt over the decades, the most recent period of stagnation has been due mainly to the right side of the political spectrum: conservatives and the Republican Party. The Donald is challenging this mindset. The Donald is espousing negotiation, flexibility, getting things done. If The Donald's quest for further fame results in the revival of these principles, the nation will have benefited. If the Donald's quest for further fame results in The Donald, we're in trouble.