To some degree it matters who's in office, but it matters more how much pressure they're under from the public.

Those of us lucky enough to have a share of privilege in the more free societies should not be asking this question, but doing something to answer it.

Of course, everybody says they're for peace. Hitler was for peace. Everybody is for peace. The question is: What kind of peace?

U.S. has no feudal background, so institutions that remained in place in Europe did not remain in place here.

People tend to rally around power.

You cannot control your own population by force, but it can be distracted by consumption.

Fed and electoral college could use some tinkering, but they are not the source of the problems.