Who We (Still) Are - WSJ.com

Who We (Still) Are - WSJ.com

Peggy Noonan shows wisdom in this article. She is right about needing optimism. I will add that optimism will come from institutional performance. I hope and pray that Barak Obama will also be wise and lead us out of our present funk. Yes, as Noonan observes, our institutions are fractured. We need to rebuild them by entrusting wise and competent people to be our leaders. We need to keep the elites and those who feel entitled by birth at bay. We need to run from the Kennedy's, the Bush's, the Romney's and the like---they are vanity candidates. We need to entrust America to the Obama's, the Palins, the Jindal's and the like. People who climbed to the top on merit should be our heros. Those who were simply born with the right name don't have the right stuff. Jim PS: I am a life long conservative which means I believe in individual excellence. I believe in the positive. I wish the nay sayers like Sean Hannity would fall under a moving train. We need to build up, not tear down.