[kcar]

Tolkien's heroic characters believed in fighting the good fight, not delaying the inevitable to a later generation. They didn't cotton to cowardice. Also, they gather power to themselves, but were sensibly quiet about it (Gandalf held a ring of power himself). The US has yet to show the world a finger of its power.
I have often thought of Wormtongue when listening to Democrats. The French come to mind when thinking about Denethor.

[Chi-townChief]

The portrayal of Denethor is one of my gripes about the movies: in the book, he is a wise but ultimately misguided and tragic hero; in the movie, he's merely a buffoon to be shoved aside.