Yes. It is sobering, to say the least. As a Jew, I struggled to understand how the German people could be seduced by Hitler ... I no longer wonder.

Personally, I remain optimistic that this, too, shall pass. But it will require more effort from those of us who continue to believe that democracy--based on the premise that all humans are equal--is the only suitable form of governance for human beings. We must appreciate the degree to which this country is at risk, and then work like hell, as too many of our friends and relatives have already sipped the Kool-Aid.

They are not bad people, but they have been duped and it is our task to educate enough of them to turn the tide. Former President Eisenhower once said, "Politics ought to be the part-time profession of every citizen who would protect the rights and privileges of free men."

That has never been more true.