Zell Miller Quote from "Executive Courage...., Section 9

"(Executive) Courage is what makes the difference between a statesman who does or says what he truly believes is right before such thoughts and actions are possible, and a politician, who says what he thinks people (his constituents) want to hear and leads the crowd only after he observes the direction in which it is going."  Note:  Parentheticals are mine.

Former Geogia Governor Zell Miller

I wonder if there are any true statesman remaining in government.  I can't think of one ( of course, there are many who I do not know) whose desire and actions for reelection do not outweigh his/her concern for the good of the country.  Most are what I see as "profilers", those who can't wait to get in front of the camera and publicly disagree with the leadership of the Administration. Lindsey Graham, John McCain, and Dean Heller come to mind.  It is reasonable to disagree with one's Administration, but do it quietly, not for self-promotion.