This one is from Jack Balkin, a Yale law professor.
I would just add two things. The first is that after reading a bit about George Washington (nothing terribly 'scholarly' by any means), one trait that really comes through is his conscientiousness of how history would view him. He seemed to calculate everything knowing the eyes of posterity would be on him.
The second comment involves U.S. policy. Regardless of the legal aspects—Constitutional limits on executive power and all that—shouldn't we as a country be a good model of our ideals? Shouldn't we act in a way not just demanded by the law, but in a way that shows the world that we truly believe in the values we spout? I would like to think so, that we can and should lead by example. It would be nice not to appear to be hypocrites in the eyes of the world, and yes, I do care what the rest of the world thinks.
I understand the arguments that it's not that simple. But still.
