The shot most of us saw as George Bush gave his second inaugural speech had John Kerry in the background. The expression on his face was one of respect and understanding. The contest was over and now, even though he fought tooth and nail to remove Bush from office, he no doubt conceded that, at the end of the day, his ticket was not convincing enough for him to be standing at the lectern that day. Essentially, the battle was over who could aggregate the greatest interest in a plan that could satisfy the electoral needs, not between two individuals looking to feed their egos and those of their cronies. In fact, ex-presidents Clinton and Carter and even senator Kerry, still, even in defeat, represent the USA and what it stands for, both at home and abroad. Dedicating one’s life to the public interest and the promotion of common values
