Breaking the Narrow Bounds

This morning in Slate there is a story about John McCain and his relationship to Morris Udall, the former Democrat congressman from Arizona. Udall, who died in 1998, was a liberal icon. But as the story relates, he took a young McCain under his wing. Not because he was trying to move his ideas but because it was the right thing to do. The Slate story goes on to suggest that McCain, during the last years of Udall's battle with Parkinsons, repaid the favor by visiting the former congressman in the hospital. He did that not for the publicity but because it was the right thing to do.

Also this morning Dennis Prager had John McWhorter, who is a distinguished author, who is Black, and a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, who told the audience that he is prepared to vote for Barrack Obama because he believes that if Obama wins it might have a long term positive effect on young Blacks. McWhorter undoubtedly disagrees with many of Obama's policy positions.

There is a common thread here which I think is important. In both cases, these are demonstrations of our continued attraction to civility. Ultimately our political system is dependent on discourse which is founded on fundamental disagreements about philosophy. At the same time the thread which binds us together needs to be done with respect. In both of these instances we seem to be revaluing something which has been largely absent from our political debates in recent years.