Hope's hostages

It is difficult to care about our country and to put our faith in people in whom we do not have great confidence, in the hope that they will do their best for us all. This is the citizens' fate under any regime - monarchy, dictatorship, democracy - with the difference that in a democracy we can hope the electoral cycle will set things right. In any case, whether we see ourselves on the left, right or center (anywhere other than the crazy fringe), we understand that we and our country are one, our personal and national fate are the same. Whatever our other allegiances, we all support the same national team.

This is obvious. The peculiar difficulty arises when people of good will are trapped between their hope for an improvement in the country's fortunes and their concern that those in power do not share the same hopes nor fear the same dangers. Many who place themselves in the...