Jack Schlossberg

We must not become perpetually distracted from the great challenges facing our country and the world.

At Yale, you can find someone passionate and enthusiastic and involved in just about any issue. For many of us, though, our school's prevailing progressive political atmosphere can make us complacent.

All too often our leaders shrink from their responsibilities and choose to do what is politically expedient.

I am not a fan of Mitt Romney, but I admit that he is, politically speaking, a good candidate for president. He has no personal baggage. He's as handsome as they come. And he's a talented orator.

In 'Profiles in Courage,' my grandfather, John F. Kennedy, praised leadership that put country above party, elevated principles over petty politics and promoted progress before personal interests.

Voters in 1960 elected the first Catholic president. In 2012, I voted to reelect the first African American president. Each was a vote for a man of principle and character, for a man who had proved himself capable and courageous and who would lead our country with a combination of dignity, compassion and toughness along a path of progress.