Just as the threat from jihadism is reaching crisis proportions, the U.S. must elect a new president. Whatever the qualifications of his successor, Obama’s influence as a leader of the West will be gone, along with his influence from many one-on-one meetings with other national leaders.

In similar circumstances President FDR ran for a third term, which enabled him to stay with the Allies, defeat the Axis, and found the U.N. But in 1947 the U.S. adopted the 22nd Amendment, barring a president from being elected more than twice. Granted that Obama is no FDR, still the 22nd Amendment keeps us from using him as a standard against whom to rate the current field of would-be leaders.

The nation’s woods are full of the bizarre sons of the GOP, squabbling over primacy and focused mainly on pleasing their own groups of loyal followers, even at the expense of other leaders and other groups. In 2016 the Republicans are oscillating between Trump’s bombastic promises and the dreams of other visionaries. The final winner will face off against some continuation of Obama’s policies by a Democrat, probably Mrs. Clinton.

The average non-political voter, eyes lifted for a moment from daily personal concerns, in the voting booth can feel the power of democracy. Count the votes; the majority rules.

Fortunately the men of 1787 gave us something beyond a set of blueprints for a government. They left their vision of a great nation; we’re still working on it.

W.R. Deeble
West Tisbury