Let us tell you a tale of two cities.

It is the worst of times in Washington, DC. The capitol is a mess. It’s a blindingly partisan dystopia where Republicans rant about Democrats and Democrats slam Republicans, where crises are manufactured and precious little is accomplished. It’s a schoolyard fist fight on the deck of the Titanic, as the American people look on in dismay.

It is the best of times in Ithaca, NY. The city, or more specifically East Hill, is actually in relatively good shape. President David J. Skorton has led Cornell University to increasing national prominence. His Reimagining Cornell initiative, with Provost Kent Fuchs, is a strategic vision for worldwide leadership in education. The Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute in New York is a foundational pillar of this vision. He has generally championed freedom and rights for both students and immigrants. He has “Pledged to End Hazing” and has worked to promote mental health on this campus and across the nation. He has pioneered stringent research ethics across all disciplines. During six recessionary years, he has raised over four billion dollars for the endowment.

Yes, this is a tale of two cities that would drive Charles Dickens to despair. Let us propose an innovative, compelling solution to the depressing dichotomy.

Senator Tom Harkin (D) of Iowa has announced his retirement, leaving an open Senate seat in the 2014-midterm elections. Coincidentally, President Skorton called Iowa his home for the 26 years preceding his arrival in Ithaca.

Do you see how the tale unfolds here? A unique opportunity to share the “Cornell Way” with the nation has been presented!

Skorton returns to Iowa, runs for Harkin’s seat and measurably improves the tired gene pool in the Senate. Washington, D.C. becomes incrementally less partisan and incrementally more functional. There could be a happy ending to this Dickensian tale, and without resorting to those pesky guillotines!

This vision is not impractical, we assure you. Many Iowa politicans have been unimpressed by the possible contenders thus far. Meanwhile, President Skorton’s appeal and name recognition stretch far beyond Cayuga’s Waters, due to those numerous public campaigns that we have as passionately been criticizing for the past seven years. Some on campus have even reached the conclusion that these endeavors are actually a sign of our President's desire to solve our nation's imperfections on a much larger scale. Well, Mr. President, the opportunity has now presenting itself.

The bottom line is this: the country needs a statesman more than Cornell needs its president.

Now, having established that this proposal would steer us clear from Dickins' revolutionary narrative, the real questions have only begun. Could President Skorton be that nonpartisan statesman? Could he be the golden thread for Iowa during an important moment in our nation's history.

After all, as the son of a Belorussian immigrant raised in the heart of the midwest, Skorton surely is a poster child for the American dream, right? Let us not forget that he is a musician, a strong family man, a doctor who both teaches and practices, and a genuinely interesting person, who—oh, by the way—has taken very strong stances against issues that the common observer would think have little effect on operating a public institution.

Let us be honest. The Cornell Review has hardly been a steadfast supporter of the administration throughout our history. There are a few (quite a few, actually) areas where we disagree with public stances and decisions that the University has made, and our writers and editors have been determined to highlight these imperfections. A new reader would not need to look very heard to see what we are talking about.

But we’re talking about our University’s President here! The man's name will be on each of our diplomas. That man now has an opportunity to shepherd a larger herd, a herd with more pressing needs. Let him be a shining example of the statesman America needs, not the politician we want.