I found this in an old notebook of mine and thought it intriguing in the context of the presidential race today.

My goal as president will not be to control, but to inspire. The greatest leaders are the greatest servants. Ultimately, I serve the greater good, I serve the people. This is not for myself, but to create a climate that will inspire others to serve. Government cannot do everything. Hence, the importance of inspiration in the private sector and in communities. That is my ultimate goal as president. (Listened to Bush’s speech today at Calvin college in Michigan.)

Sometimes I look back at old things and wonder how the hell I wrote that. Sometimes I look back at old things and smile at how familiar it all is. Like now. My receptivity to Obama’s approach to the presidency doesn’t seem so out-of-left field when you see this. This is especially true when you tell people that I was president of the College Republicans and now I’m an Obama supporter.

Now I do think Obama probably trusts the federal government to do more than I do. Yet Obama doesn’t talk the same talk as the more aristocratic Democrats, who believe people are too stupid to know what they want.

I am inspired, and I think it is part of the job of the president to inspire.