It was a senior class in Political Science when I was in college. It was taught by the department chairman and it occurred on a Monday in late November of 1963. You probably know the week-end I'm recalling if you were alive then. The President had been assassinated and America was stunned.
For those of us in college it was an earth-shaking event. We had effectively known only two other Presidents in our life time. Truman had been elevated to the position when we were little more than infants. Eisenhower had served the rest of our short lifetimes. Kennedy was an anchor for us regardless of our politics which were still somewhat indeterminate. We were apprehensive about what would become of America.
Dr. Smithburg had lived a long time and through many administrations. In that regard I can identify with him today, particularly when the chronology of the office that is so familiar to me is so alien to my students. Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, Bush II have all come and gone. My students might recall Clinton. The reassurances of Dr. Smithburg have served me well over that time. The office is too big to be endangered by an incompetent.
He told us that America was a huge and stable nation. A President was a leader, but he was only one man. He might be a good President or a bad one, but the country had a stability which could absorb the efforts of a single man and would be impacted only slightly by the worst incumbent and improved just incrementally by the best.
I've come to know that was true and wise.
That is until now. The world is much smaller. We are much more co-dependent on the global community. We will be impacted and quickly by events around the world. Competence does matter. Action is necessary and dithering while determining the best political position to take for an election will not feed the bulldog.
The cliche of Nero fiddling while Rome burned is familiar. The detachment of Marie Antoinette suggesting that the starving people could eat cake if they had no bread plays very well today.
They ski in Vail, rent the best hotel in its entirety in Spain, entertain the hoi polloi in the White House, commandeer a prime tee time several days a month and along the way ignore the significant events that require America to lead.
Today we don't need to dig deeply to confirm that it matters very seriously who the President is. Dr. Smithburg's consolation has expired. The world has changed and we very apparently are adrift in dangerous seas.
7 comments:
Good editorial. Perhaps you should write for the WSJ.
Not only the President is unqualified, but those who work for him.
"I can't eat an iPad."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704893604576199113452719274.html#articleTabs%3Darticle
You are so right, we are adrift.
Yes, the current state of world affairs bears an unhealthy resemblance to that of the early 1930's.
I would add that the UN and EU have a lot to answer for.
At best we in the west have a long spell of austerity in front of us.
Alas, the "consolation" has indeed expired.
The real question is whether or not the damage that this administration - started earlier to be sure, but accelerated by Mach numbers with this bunch - can be repaired or at least halted in time...
I'm far from sanguine about our propspects; I think "... a long spell of austerity..." is to what we're facing as a firecracker is to a nuke.
To paraphrase Pogo 'we have seen the enemy and he is BHO'.
I remember Nov 63 very well I was in basic training in Ft. Polk LA. We stood at parade rest for a very long time, in full battle gear.
We must correct the current situation at the ballet box 1012. Vet very single one personally, before you but that mark in the box. America was asleep during the last presidential election; lets not let that happen again.
Putting all my money into canned food and shotguns.... If I had any money that is.
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