What 'Uniting America' Means

Robert Sutton [letters, Oct. 13] complained about presidential candidates touting "unity." He had two questions: What does "unite America" mean, and why is "uniting America" important?

"Unite America" means that we move away from the partisan politics that have plagued us and we institute laws and policies that are good for the entire country, not just for the party that "wins." Why is "uniting America" important? Because it yields the best decisions.

Any extreme position we have is never totally right, and any extreme position our "opponents" have is never totally wrong. The best answer is always somewhere in between. Often, it's the best simply because a large majority on both sides embraces it.

Too many in our government are activists and not governors. In the past, the government had far more statesmen, people whose ideals were based on effective leadership for the whole, not on forcing partisan positions. Today, if more of us thought that way, acted that way and governed that way, this country would be far better off.

DAVID BUTLER

Leesburg