We are at a profoundly unsettled time in our nation's history. More than two-thirds of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, and many are convinced that our political system is ailing.

How can we fix our government so that it works effectively and democratically? I'm convinced we need to let our government function as it was designed. I believe that to govern well, we must return to the basics.

This means spreading out the power that has come to rest in the White House in recent decades. It means tolerating debate, seeking compromise, and remembering that winning political battles is not the highest good. Our Founders knew that the means are more important than the end because a legitimate process is the only way to ensure that those in government focus on the common good and on representing the American people.

Above all, it means having patience — our system responds slowly to the demands on it because it was meant to be slow. But with a government that enjoys broad legitimacy, the fact that it can't resolve every problem will come to seem a tolerable imperfection.

Lee Hamilton is Director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years.