For all the enlightened nations that profess a loyalty to liberty, democracy, economy and all the rest, there has long been a readiness to look for a chosen one; as Carlyle pointed out, even the French, those great anti-venerators, those relentless beheaders of Great Men, worshipped Voltaire.

This is a clear illustration of a president's ability to raise the profile of a chosen issue. Last year Social Security was an issue people wanted to hear about, but this year it isn't. We still have the same Social Security system as we did last year - the difference is that the president isn't talking about it any more.

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.

The price of liberty is labor as well as vigilance.

In the random way that democracy scatters art and monuments among its leaders, Lyndon Baines Johnson has a winner.

Leaders on both sides of the Atlantic need to build upon areas where Americans and Europeans do agree, like democracy promotion, to pave the way forward for transatlantic relations.