Hopeful Realism

The world and our country had more than enough challenging problems before Putin invaded Ukraine. Now, every day brings new disturbing and sickening news. Ukraine turns out to be a nation of heroes, and that’s inspirational, but the toll of death and destruction is horrifying. Seeking any scrap of good news yesterday, I clicked on E. J. Dionne’s column, titled “The Case for Hopeful Realism,” in the online Washington Post. As Dionne noted, “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has reminded us of how puny and recklessly trivial our nation’s debate has become.” The chances of some constructive legislation by Congress seems to have improved. Could an uptick in the incidence of good will and good faith be in the making as well? We can’t be sure, but it’s not unrealistic to hope so.