I visited Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day. It is a beautiful place – solemn, silent and inspiring. Every visit brings an incredible sense of humility, respect and awe for the individuals buried here, and renewed inspiration to honor their gift to us. Every grave is a solemn reminder of our eternal debt to those who gave the last full measure of devotion to preserve our opportunity to be free. Every marker is also a reminder of our duty to preserve that opportunity.

The opportunity to remain free is ours to squander. The Oath taken by our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines contains near-identical language to the Oath taken by every elected official at every level of government:  to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…”

While he was a U.S. Senator, John F. Kennedy wrote a book titled “Profiles in Courage.” In it, he chronicled acts of personal courage by sometimes unsung heroes who did the right thing regardless of personal cost. In every case, the people profiled in JFK’s book were faced with difficult decisions framed in the context of conflict. Sometimes the conflicts were the result of the perpetual struggle between right and wrong. Sometimes their struggles were the result of having to define what is right and what is wrong. 

Times have certainly changed since the publication of President Kennedy’s book. The struggles in Congress are no longer to define what is right, or even to do what is right. In Congress, the struggle has become how each member can best feather his or her political nest at our expense.