“In order to get power and retain it, it is necessary to love power; but love of power is not connected with goodness but with qualities that are the opposite of goodness, such as pride, cunning and cruelty.”

This is a true quote. Every word of it.

and yet there are those who have great power with out having any love for power, and as such it disproves the "necessary" part of the quote. Other than that, this seems like a reasonable statement.

Reston...why, oh why, did I figure you would put an "and yet" into this quote...? Funny thing....there are those who want to appear to be good...but power is what they are all about...(psssst: Reston, are you and your liberal friends listening? No wonder you don't like private ownership of guns--puts a real kink into things doesn't it?)

Our government is becoming more cruel every day.

Reston made a reasonable observation.