Quote from The New Republic

From Leon Wieseltier's column "Ghosts" in the 10/28/2010 issue of The New Republic.

For there is honor in partisanship, when the differences are philosophical; and for the purpose of social change, politics is all we have. Faction is not only a reality, it is also a calling. . . . The memory of courage and wisdom covers [the White House's] walls. Its past is its gift. Behind the Beltway, there is Washington. The Beltway is a venal place, but the streets of Washington are paved with the Constitution, the Constitution is the mortar between every brick of every building, it is in the air and in the light, you can find it even in a brandy glass, and it can get you through the day.