Cynicism is very useful when it comes to political structures. Usually it is born out of disillousonement of former held idealist but unrealistic goals or wrong perceptions about the social reality and can be helpful in getting the facts straight.

However, the political system of the USA or other liberal democracies is not perfect enough to be governed by self-interest alone. In order to fulfil a public office people should show a certain responsibility. It is in our self-interest besides our duty as citizens to prevent people from having power over others who do not share humanist principles and seem to be able to do anything to obtain it and use it for their sole self interest. (like bombing Sudan to get your approval ratings up like Bill Clinton did) Out of pure citizen protection politicians should anyway have only the power necessary to do a good job administrating our public affairs and must be kept out of our private affairs as much as possible.

This is what I want to see in a candidate, there are real issues to tackle (the poverty of most of the black people only one of it) All this stupid image branding circus finally lead to a situation where you cannot distinguish the campaing advertisment from political parody anymore, both produced by very cynical people just trying to live off the crumbs from the table of the powerful.

Your wish to be governed by ruthless cynical liars sounds to me quite masochistic for yourself and very dangerous for others.

I think this is a pathetic state of affairs, maybe thats why I enjoy Hitchens columns everyonce in a while.

Anyone still reads the Federalist papers?