Feet of Clay

I suspect that our disappointments with those we elect to high office stems, in part, from our expectation that they should be better people than ourselves. We use "feet of clay" as a perjorative. Perhaps it is merely acknowledgement of our commonality.

In the biblical book of Genesis, some pretty low people end up as the instruments of God's will. Jacob cheats his brother out of his inheritance, for example, yet goes on to be a patriarch.

We are all to be encouraged by this - we have the example that, as unworthy as we know ourselves to be, we are capable of doing what must be done. In a democracy we hope our leaders do indeed have feet of clay.