For Gandhi, Prayer Preceded Politics

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Last year Newt Gingrich paid a $300,000 fine for ethical lapses. Bill Clinton faces allegations of sexual misconduct and perjury. Strangely, the media seem more excited than the public. It appears that Americans are getting accustomed to the idea that, though political leaders may be personally corrupt, they can still govern.

This separation of morality and politics comes with a cost. Political debate is rarely about the moral issues of justice and peace. Instead, in a modern version of bread and circuses, we parse the Dow Jones Averages and devour crime and scandal stories.

But just when people may be ready to despair of public figures who combine personal integrity, spiritual depth and engagement for social justice, we pass an anniversary that brings to mind a remarkable life. Fifty years separate us from the death …