following a wise american tradition of ex-presidents gracefully exiting the political stage and making room for new voices and new ideas. we have our first president, george washington, to thank for setting that example. after he led the colonies to victory as general washington, there were no constraints on him really. he was practically a god to those who had followed him into battle. there was no constitution. there were no democratic norms that guided what he should or could do, and he could have made himself all-powerful. he could have made himself potentially president for life. instead, he resigned as commander in chief and moved back to his country estate. six years later, he was elected