One of the great American ideals is that our president should represent the very best of us. That he, or she, though flawed, should be better than the median American. We expect them to be noble, brave, and true (and a war hero if possible). George Washington got us into this mess, because he was just that kind of man; as for the rest of them, very few have measured up. Yet, we can’t seem to let go of this ideal, or maybe I can’t.
To me, an assessment of any president of the United States comes down to four things: wisdom, integrity, leadership, and communication. Who rates a four-for-four in the annals of history?
Presumably George Washington would get top marks, though the emphasis on national communication for his era is slight and he made few of these appearances, he does seems to have been effective within the expectations of his era. Abraham Lincoln would also appear to be top notch in all four areas—with his keen foresight on the issues at the heart of our nation’s distress, his knowledge of when to push (even fire) his military leaders, the ability to work closely with many of differing opinions, and his remarkable speech-writing abilities.
To this list I would add only Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. Roosevelt didn’t always make the right decision, but he was years ahead of his time on many ideas and effectively led the way. Ronald Reagan was a master communicator, from the personal letters he wrote to citizens to his public addresses, and navigated the waters of world diplomacy and domestic affairs with solid results.
I would give three of the four categories to Thomas Jefferson, Franklin Roosevelt, and Dwight Eisenhower. Some of these are only above average in two categories, but even that is rare among our presidents. Jefferson was almost a president emeritus, having spent most of his goodwill for America on his years before taking office; also, I don’t believe he ever gave a speech during his time in office. Receiving consideration for three stars were Presidents Kennedy and George H.W. Bush, but in the end, they were one-termers with flaws.
As for our newest White House occupant, it isn't fair to project his place as a legacy cannot be formed from 10 days in office. But I have seen him demonstrate leadership and communication skills that, over the course of time, could be good enough to put him among the greats. But honestly, I’m unconvinced of his wisdom—with more bail-out packages (and too much of the money going to non-stimulus items like STD education, student loan programs, weather tracking, and the NEA to name a few), executive orders that tear down some of the few remaining protections against wholesale abortion, a reactionary plan for dealing with the Guantanamo terrorists--and in condsideration that his ability to form relationships with the world and to protect our citizens is unknown. It will be an interesting four years.
In all fairness, Kennedy's term was cut short...who knows how many stars he could have achieved. And Thomas Jefferson may not have given many speeches, but he did write the Declaration of Independence in a mere 17 days...that's incredible. Gives you pause to think how great his speeches would have been!
Posted by: Paula | January 30, 2009 at 08:54 AM