A longtime friend who served with me from across the aisle in Congress, the late Bob Wilson, enjoyed self-deprecating stories. Addressing a party rally in his first campaign more than 50 years ago – in conservative Coronado, yet – Bob inveighed against government spending. Someone in the audience asked him about a law to limit the amount of debt our federal government should be allowed to run up on taxpayers. “That sounds like a fine idea,” the eager young candidate responded. “I'd surely vote for it.” The questioner seemed less pleased than Wilson expected. “That's already the law,” the fellow...