After a long hiatus due to some illness, I want to finish what I started about the Presidency. I think that is is crucial that we as Americans get the kind of leaders we desperately need to bridge the partisan divide to solve problems for the country. What attributes make for a good or great president and how can we recognize them when they are running for office?
My recent reading list has included three stimulating books about the presidency. The first was Presidential Courage by Michael Beschloss. In this book, the author describes in detail how eight presidents displayed courage in the face of opposition, often within their own parties, to accomplish something important for the country to thrive. I believe that courage is the single most important attribute for presidential greatness. Whether you are George Washington negotiating the Jay treaty to keep us out of war with England, or John Kennedy standing up to the Russians during the Cuban Missile Crisis, presidents are often confronted with agonising choices among competing legitimate interests, while having incomplete information. For the life of me, I don't understand why anyone would want that kind of responsibility, but I'm glad some do (and wish some didn't). The courage to do what's right in the face of opposition is critical to a successful presidency.
Next on my reading list was The Leaders We Deserved and a few we didn't), by Alvin Stephen Feltzenberg. In this book, the author talks about the rating of presidents and how it is subject to change over time. Sometimes presidents turn out to be right about things most people were sure they were wrong. Ronald Reagan comes to mind with his belief that new arms buildups would cripple the USSR economically and bring about its collapse. Felzenberg suggests judging presidential candidates on the following; 1. Look for a sense of purpose; 2. Examine their response to adversity; 3. Look for broad life experiences; 4. Indicates a natural curiosity; 5. Shows integrity; 6. Exhibits humility and confidence. Want to better understand whom to avoid? 1. Watch out for cynicism and complacency; 2. Say no to whiners; 3. Keep away from know-it-alls; 5. Avoid those prone to power abuse. He rated each president (not including Bush 43 and Obama) on a scale of 1-5 in each category to some up with an overall ranking of the 39 presidents ranked. In order his top 11 are Lincoln, Washington, T. Roosevelt, Reagan, Eisenhower, F. Roosevelt, Taylor, Grant, McKinley, Truman, and Kennedy. My own top 10 would include, in order; Washington, Lincoln, F. Roosevelt, T. Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, Reagan, Eisenhower, Jefferson, Taylor. I omitted Bush 43 and Obama because the jury is still out on both of them.
My last book in this series is Baptism By Fire, by Mark Updegrove, about eight presidents who took office in the midst of crisis or with a crisis looming. Both Bush 43 and Obama fall into this category but are not addressed in the book. The author examines Washington,Jefferson, Tyler, Lincoln, FDR, Truman, Kennedy, and Ford for their response to crisis. To me, this is very instructive, because every president who ever serves will encounter multiple, intractable crises when in office. The effective management of crises, or lack thereof, determines the quality of the presidency and the progress of the nation in response. The people must have the belief that the president and his team know what to do and how to effectively do it.
The job of President of the United States has to be one of the most difficult on the planet. The stamina and the pure intellectual firepower required to do the job well make it so. Starting from now and going forward, I pray that each person who seeks or holds the office can perform up to the level that we as a nation deserve and need to progress as a nation. If not, chaos and gridlock will continue to prevail, and the democracy will suffer.
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