by Patrick J. Buchanan – July 21, 1998

Of all the myths out of which the Republic was born … none was more hopeful than the crowning myth of the Presidency — that the people, in their shared wisdom, would be able to choose the best man to lead them.

From this came a derivative myth — that the Presidency … would make noble any man who held its responsibility. The Office would burn the dross from his character; his duties would, by their very weight, make him a superior man … ”