In response to my prior post Jeffrey R. Snyder sends along this excellent piece.

Another correspondent questioned my reference to Anakin as a good man since he was willing to use power to impose his will on the world. After thinking it over, I think that yes, we can call Anakin good, since his actions are, at least initially, motivated by a desire for good ends, and it is that very goodness that leads to his downfall. The temptation that ultimately drives Anakin to the Dark Side is the possibility of gaining great power to do good. Anakin’s story has its real life parallels in the many who come to DC to dismantle the system and become enthralled with all the good they can do for “the people” or “the world” or even “liberty” if they give in to the Dark Side and use the power of the federal government. In fact, I would bet more souls are lost to the temptation to use power for good ends than are lost to the temptation to use power for one’s own benefit.