If you’ve read many of these columns you know I’m addicted to politics. My spouse, among others, tells me to cut it out from time to time. You may also know I live in a restored farmhouse, at the end of a half-mile gravel road, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. There IS a connection between those two facts. Consider what happens to anyone in a high position in American politics – or running for such a position. I’ve observed the behavior of many men and women who are – or are running to be – Members of Congress, Senators, or...