In my family, we were taught and shown by examples that politics can be a no

In my family, we were taught and shown by examples that politics can be a noble profession, that each of us should serve the country that has given us so much. Over the past years, however, I worry that my own children have developed a profound fear of government. What is happening makes them confused, uncertain and afraid – not unlike many adults. Though I don’t think President Clinton should be removed from office, I don’t forgive his conduct. It was wrong. Children must be taught to tell the truth, and they will be punished if they don’t. My 5-year-old son Jack recently saw a picture of Clinton and said, “He lied.” I couldn’t disagree, but I explained to him that people are judged by their whole life and work not by the worst of what they’ve done. Certainly, we have a right to know about the character of the people we elect. But that right must be balanced against the right to privacy, which often conflicts with other values. For example, the right to keep your personal life private. But while anyone who enters public life must be willing to sacrifice much of their privacy, they should not have to sacrifice all of it. When asked whether my father would go into publics today, I’d still like to think yes. He was committed to public life, as my family has been since the days of my kids’ great-great-grandfather Honey Fitz. But I fear that today’s bad sides will discourage people from both parties from thinking they can make a difference.