No, I’m sad to say that it isn’t, “Ask not what you can do for your country…” In fact, for my money, the best political quote of all time is from Gov. Arnold Schwarznegger, “I have behaved badly sometimes. Yes, it is true that I was on rowdy movie sets and I have done things that were not right, which I thought then was playful but now I recognize that I offended people and to those people that I offended, I want to say that I am deeply sorry and I apologize.” He made this statement in response to complaints from women that had been in movies with him earlier in his career that he had groped them.

What makes this so brilliant? It showed humility and completely eliminated this issue confronting him. He had been accused of behavior that would be criminal, even felonious, in most states. It was clear to anyone who knew him that these accusations were indisputably true and had the potential to derail his political career. Yet, in one fell swoop, he redefined the behavior as inappropriate, rather than criminal, validated his accusers and completely eliminated it as an issue in the election. Regardless of whether it was an example of maturity and humility or a totally cynical political ploy, it should go down as one of the best political quotes of all time.

Why should we care? It goes without saying that anyone who seeks high political office has an enormous ego, regardless of their party. As voters, we should look to those politicians who accept this about themselves and somehow manage to transcend it. While I disagree with Schwarznegger on most issues, he has succeeded in ways that his predecessor could only dream of.

In the national campaign, we mostly have counterexamples, unfortunately. McCain showed a certain humility and sense of humor early in his career. For example, it was well known in DC circles that the end of his first marriage was entirely his fault and represented a major moral failing. Yet, by admitting it and expressing regret, he eliminated it as an issue, even among religious conservatives, who are most likely to view his behavior as unforgivable.

And yet he does not admit even minor faults in other respects. Recently, his campaign has aired commercials that are demonstrably false. Instead of apologizing for letting things get out of hand and saying he’ll do better, he’s undermined his reputation for straight talk by standing by them.

Sarah Palin presents another example of hubris. It seems absolutely clear that she wanted her ex-brother-in-law fired. She believed he’d engaged in repeated instances of domestic violence against her sister. While it was inappropriate for her to pressure the Public Safety Commissioner to fire him, it would be completely forgivable if she simply admitted it. “I admit I made inappropriate attempts to terminate Mr. Wooten’s employment with the State, rather than simply allowing the process to run its course. However, my disagreements with Public Safety Commissioner Monegan went well beyond that, which led me to ask for his resignation.” This simple statement puts it behind her. She will never say this. She will refuse to testify at the inquiry and allow it to dog her until the election and beyond rather than admit any personal fault. Hubris.

In fact, she’s a good exemplar of another phenomenon - drawing attention to the very weakness that will hurt you most. She aggressively put her family before the public spotlight, trumpeting her decision to have her son, even knowing that he had Down’s. When questions arose as to whether she was the mother, she did not simply release redacted medical records of the birth, but trotted her pregnant 17 year old daughter before the electorate, a truly horrifying example of abuse of parental privilege.

To be fair, I should point out that John Edwards did exactly the same thing. He could simply have said that his wife’s medical condition was not a proper subject for public debate. Instead, he used it to show that he was a loving husband, knowing all along of his infidelity.

On the local level, we should look carefully to see which candidate admits fault and which one refuses to acknowledge it. Jim Torrey’s tenure as mayor was not marked by reconciliation and compromise for the common good. He clearly viewed his job as curing Eugene of the progressive curse, not working with his political opponents to solve the city’s problems. On the other hand, despite her own very strong progressive ideals, Kitty Piercy’s tenure has been marked by attempts to compromise and bridge the gap to her political opponents. She continues to do this, despite criticism from the left. Real leadership is about setting aside pride for the common good.