Armed with the wisdom of the children of darkness

David Brooks, quoting Reinhold Niebuhr: “The preservation of a democratic civilization requires the wisdom of the serpent and the harmlessness of the dove. The children of light must be armed with the wisdom of the children of darkness but remain free from their malice. They must know the power of self-interest in human society without giving it moral justification. They must have this wisdom in order that they may beguile, deflect, harness and restrain self-interest, individual and collective, for the sake of the community.”

David "the myth of innate human goodness is dead" now tells us that we shouldn't desire ethical leaders. Talk about the ends justifying the means. Holding the hand of the devil to cross the bridge. The things that pass for realism these days...