Freud, where are you when we need you? Think tanks in Washington, DC and across the land are furiously issuing position papers in preparation for the new administration. They are full of "we need" statements. They declare: "We need to fix the climate," "we need to stop Iran from making nuclear bombs," "we need to restructure the UN Security Council," and on and on. The sentiments behind these statements are often noble, and they may well find their way into high flying speeches. But they, unfortunately, ignore the main point Freud taught us.

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