King David's downfall
holds lessons for U.S.

  Sen. Barack Obama is an Islamic terrorist, Sen. John McCain was responsible for an explosion on the aircraft carrier Forrestal, Sen. Obama is anti-Semitic. Sen. John Kerry's war record was a fake. Do we really need to consume this menu of vertiginous absurdity? Or, even more seriously, what drives people to serve up this poison?

  King David was an intelligent, attractive, and gifted young man. Nathan, the prophet who had fingered him for the job, must have really looked on paper like a political genius. On his first appearance David must have attracted cheering crowds. Some of those who didn't like this kid with slingshot and harp must have complained about a cult of personality. Subordinate prophets must have predicted dire events.

  The predictions were accurate. Power and popularity eventually corrupted this talented and charming young man. He led his people into endless and foolish wars which drained the kingdom of soldiers and financial resources. Even the Book of Kings, an admiring chronicle of his reign and those of his successors, spares few details about the sins of King David, especially adultery, abuse of women and murder of friends and allies. All right, he produced beautiful poetry and expressed sorrow for his sins. Still, on his death bed he was ordering more murders. The wisdom of the Lord God who did not want Israel to have kings seemed unquestionable.

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  Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely -- whether it be power granted by a prophet or by popular election.

  If Americans are indeed fed up with the power system in this country, the constant bickering in Washington against a background of lobbying payoffs and sexual abuses, they need a much better method of elections. Campaigns should be shorter, limitations on funding should be stricter, attack ads should be punished, dirty tricks to steal an election should be felonies, a code of ethics should be enforced on campaigns.

  Does anyone, in this time of candidates running against one another before they are nominated, imagine that we can go back to the good old days when presidential campaigns started on Labor Day? Now they begin before Thanksgiving.

  Does anyone, in this era of endless attack ads, really think they could be exorcised from campaigns? Does anyone think that journalists, worn out and jaded from the strain of the campaign, will give up writing slanted articles? Especially when the attack is against the "front-runner"?

  There's not much chance of such changes. Too many people have too much invested in the power that comes with victory to permit reform.

  Do any of the campaigners, with their hoarse and strident tones, remember what happened to the psalmist, a man who thought with good reason that he was God's choice? 

Read Father Greeley's latest Articles: 
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Bumbling CIA's failures hurt America                      Will we betray our Iraqi workers?
Better bishops would be a blessing                       Immigration 'win' is no victory
Caution made JFK a great leader                          Ethnic biases stronger than ever           
Latest Bush Iraq plan will fail                                An ending with no meaning
Long war' plan short on substance                        Hatred of immigrants is sinful

Read the Chicago SunTimes' Daily Southtown articles.