Calls for national unity mask ideological ambition

"The purpose of the presidency is not the glorification of the president," South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg recently declared, "but the unification of the American people."

Treacle like this has been a mainstay of presidential candidates for decades. But is it true? Or even possible? And if so, is it desirable?

The answer to all three questions is no.

Buttigieg's description of a president's job appears nowhere in the Constitution. But more importantly, ideological ambition and national unity