David Brooks: The Pragmatic Leviathan–An Excellent Anlaysis of the American Psyche

This Op-Ed from David Brooks in the New York Times is quite insightful and worth a read.  It offers some of the best analysis I’ve seen on the mood of the country as President Obama enters his second year, and why his support among moderates is slipping. It’s not a partisan piece — rather a psychological assessment of the national character that seems to me to be spot on:

By DAVID BROOKS
Published: January 18, 2010
When I was in college, I was assigned “Leviathan,” by Thomas Hobbes. On the cover was an image from the first edition of the book, published in 1651. It shows the British nation as a large man. The people make up the muscles and flesh. Then at the top, there is the king, who is the head and the mind.