Cure for the common campaign

Already the forces are gathering, rallying around various banners, each proclaiming "THIS is the person who, if elected President, can set all to rights." Indeed, to hear the talk you'd think this is the "most important election in the nation's history, so it's imperative (fill in your candidate here) wins!"

For a republic that's gone through this drill every four years for over two centuries, you'd think we would have learned a little perspective by now. Some sage advice, from a favorite columnist:

Don't ever put your trust in men. Not Barry Goldwater, not Arnold Schwarzenegger, not George Bush or anyone else. The distance between a Winston Churchill and an Adolf Hitler is rather less than it appears. The whole point of libertarianism is to reduce the ability of flawed and evil men to exert control over the lives of other individuals.