Thomas Sowell on "The Washington Meat Grinder"

Dr. Sowell on the coarsening of the level of discourse in Washington, where too many people prefer to yell or score political shots rather than civilly discuss differing points of view. He cites the treatment of Donald Rumsfeld as but one example:

"Whether Donald Rumsfeld's policies were mistaken or not, that is no reason to accept superficial and even gutter-level discourse on momentous national issues. There was a time when even politicians understood that...

"The issue is not whether people should be nice to Donald Rumsfeld or even whether history will vindicate him or condemn him. The real issue is whether we can have responsible adult discussions of issues at a time when the fate of this nation hangs in the balance in its most dangerous hour."

It's an excellent piece.