February 6, 1788; James Madison publishes “The Federalist” No. 51: “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.”
March 30, 2009; Barack Obama removes the CEO of General Motors and announces that the federal government will stand behind all GM warranties.
No doubt to some Obama supporters this merely reinforces their belief in his angelic nature.
