The almost erotic pleasure of spending money that others have earned and saved is one reason people put up with the tiresome aspects of political life.

The pursuit of perfection often impedes improvement.

Popularity makes no law invulnerable to invalidation. Americans accept judicial supervision of their democracy - judicial review of popular but possibly unconstitutional statutes - because they know that if the Constitution is truly to constitute the nation, it must trump some majority preferences.

The case for democracy is not esthetic.

The strongest continuous thread in America's political tradition is skepticism about government.

Libertarian presidential candidate André Marrou's idea is that "government power is opposed to individual liberty." Must we still debate such sophomoric notions?... Besides, liberty, although very important, is not the only value.

The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy nor Roman nor an empire, the United Nations is a disunited collection of regimes, many of which do not represent the nations they govern.