Are politicians full of themselves?

I'd say so. That was the point of Peggy Noonan's Conceit of Government article yesterday. "There is nothing wrong with compromise and nothing wrong with announcements, but the senators who spoke referred to themselves with such flights of vanity and conceit--we're so brave, so farsighted, so high-minded--that it was embarrassing."

Those in the House and Senate get paid very well and make connections that many use to their financial advantage for the rest of their lives. Issues like fuel economy prove that most legislators are not really willing to do the right thing if it means losing their job.

Serving the people is an honor and privilege that demands the noblest behavior. Standing for the people, rather than lobbyists and party lines, is the highest action, yet so few of our representatives do it. Most are neither brave, farsighted, or high-minded, most are simply self-serving.

I guess that's just politics.