Bill Clinton, in a recent interview in the October issue of Esquire magazine, had some telling comments regarding the huge divisions in our country. Below are some quotes.

"...we were going to become a country that was not necessarily more liberal but was more communitarian, with the belief that we had to go up or down together, and we would come to realize that our fates are bound up together, and to realize that our government was an important part--not the only, but an important part--of creating a common future that was positive. And that is the kind of majority we have now."

"I tried to promote a vision of reconciliation and community that would go behind their politics of division."

A house divided against itself cannot stand. With the continuing polarization and demonization of one side or the other, we're in serious jeopardy of having this amazing house implode. And, as Clinton sagely remarks, "...you can't love your country and hate your government."

The right wing politics of division, of trying to poison people's view of "government," seems to be one of those 'devil-take-the-hindmost' strategies that's destined to fail. Fostering distrust in government may produce initial wins for those who seek division and disruption. But, when citizens realize that the 'free market' doesn't care about justice and equality, they'll return to the leavening force that is government. As Clinton concludes, "We win when people feel that their country doesn't care about them anymore, and they've got to have a little help, and that we can make a new beginning."

"We've got to just stand and deliver, over and over again. That's what sustained me for all eight years--I didn't give a damn what was in the headlines that day, I just got up and remembered somebody I knew who needed a president and needed us to try and do something, and that's all that matters."

Would that President Obama sustain the same kind of vision and progress.