Mitigating factors, Andy? Is there some rule that says once a prosecutor, always a prosecutor? But you make a fair point. And whatever our age, we can all benefit from the wisdom of other people whose judgment we have reason to trust.
As for your second paragraph, I’m all for obsessing over how to reduce the size and scope of the federal government and, where that is not possible, for reforming it so that, among other things, it serves middle-class interests and values better. So perhaps I am not the best guy to answer your question. But it seems to me that many different answers to the practical questions those goals raise — questions about priorities and tactics, for example — would be compatible with treating adults as adults.