[nietzreznor]

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I think this is a bit of a cop out. The representative leaders are there because "the people" cast the votes. If the people aren't willing to shoulder the blame for the actions of their leaders then they need to vote for someone else.

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There are many of us here that didn't vote for Bush, or Clinton, or anyone who has had horrible foreign policies. Or maybe some people who voted for a bad candidate as self-defense against an even worse candidate.
Do I think that it is good to vote for tyrants like Bush? Obviously not. But the bottom line is that these people are making the policy decisions, not 'us'. Too often people refuse to hold authority figures accountable for their actions, or treat a collective entity like 'government' as if it wasn't composed of individuals. In a system where lots of people do vote for someone else, where 49% of the people could vote for someone and get 0% representation, it is ridiculous to act as if the 'people' are responsible for government's actions.