When I look at the guys who run for the White House a large diamond pops into my mind. A real diamond.

My dad took his own life. He stuck the family with his debts. But...he also left a ring with a huge diamond. He had given that to my mom when they were young and he worked in the jewelry business in Syracuse.

Whenever those debts nibbled at our heels she would whip out the ring. “If worse comes to worse, we can always sell this. Your father knew diamonds. This is worth thousands.”

When the nibbling turned to gnawing, I took the ring to the very jeweler my dad worked for those many ago.

He examined the diamond through magnifying lenses. “Ah yes, your dad knew diamonds,” he said. “He also knew human nature. This diamond has a major flaw within. That makes it almost worthless. He probably bought it for a song. But, of course, most people - your mother too - would be enchanted with the size and color of it. Most people would not notice the flaw. Or would overlook it.”

My point is that flaws have a way of surfacing. Just when you don’t need to see them.

This is what comes to mind when I look at candidates for the presidency. I consider the flaws in their character we already know about.