How to save US democracy? Simple: copy the Catholic church

The death of a pope focuses attention on the historic procedure by which the Roman church elects its leader. A thought occurs. This could be the ideal way to choose the leader of any country.

- BY RICHARD DAWKINS

The current president of the United States is attracting a lot of attention. He was chosen by the Electoral College. But what if the Electoral College worked more like the College of Cardinals?

I will call this the IEC, which could stand for Improved Electoral College or Ideal Electoral College. I never thought I'd find myself taking a leaf from the Roman Catholic book.

The IEC would actively headhunt, rather than wait for candidates to volunteer. They'd exhaustively thrash out the merits and demerits of many candidates, not just two.

Like the College of Cardinals, or like a university search committee seeking a new professor, they'd deliberate at length behind closed doors.

They'd grill them at interview, read their books and speeches, take soundings, vet them for security clearance. Finally, they'd vote, perhaps in a series of secret ballots until a consensus emerged - with "Habemus praesidentem" proclaimed in a puff of white smoke.

Who, though, would be on the IEC? As at present, the members would be respected citizens of their state, elected by popular vote, perhaps one member per congressional district. They'd meet to choose the president.