[jamwadmag]

The Truman Primary: Courage and the '08 Field
By Evan Thomas
Newsweek

McCain is 'Trumanesque'

There are some eternal verities about politics—chiefly, that most politicians are (surprise, surprise) carefully calculating and keenly attuned to what is possible. There are some eternal truths about history, too. History has a habit of changing its mind. The case of the now sainted Truman, the Platonic presidential ideal of 2008, is an example of just this phenomenon. In 1953, when Truman left Washington for Independence, Mo., few were unhappy to see him go. His administration was accused of corruption and the Korean War was stalemated. Yet as the years passed, his stature grew. His candor stood in welcome contrast to the obfuscations of Vietnam- and Watergate-era Washington; the policy of containment stood the test of time, and his sense of responsibility—he really did believe the buck stopped with him—loomed large in an age of buck-passing. Love him or hate him, he made the tough calls, often courageously, and history has rewarded him for it.

Buffeted by war, unhappy with President Bush, many Americans—Democratic, Republican, independent—seem hungry for a Trumanesque figure, a truth-telling, bare-knuckled president who will give it to us straight. The question now is whether anybody in the 2008 field can measure up.

Americans say they want to see courage from their politicians. As the historian Michael Beschloss illustrates in his new book, "Presidential Courage," the greatest presidents were willing to risk their political careers to do the right thing for the country. Being courageous is usually hard to fake; voters, even apathetic ones, have a way of spotting phonies. But it is difficult to tell whether a candidate will make the hard choices until he or she actually becomes president—by which time, it's too late.


Still, voters can find hints and clues. Though the most successful politicians tend to be cautious, poll-driven and consultant-coached, they have to make choices that test their moral fortitude. All the front runners have taken risks—if not in the political arena, then in their personal lives. None of these contenders can be dismissed as purely expedient and opportunistic. It is worth remembering that Truman, the plain-spoken pillar of integrity described by Beschloss in the excerpt that follows, was widely seen—perhaps unfairly—as a machine pol and a hack before he became president. And it is worth considering that history shines on the brave presidents who were lucky enough to win—not the ones, like Lyndon Johnson, who dared greatly but lost.

By far the most dramatic profile in courage belongs to John McCain. As a prisoner of war in Hanoi, he was offered an early release by the North Vietnamese because his father was the commander of American forces in the Pacific. McCain chose to stay in prison—and endure torture and privation for another five years. Running for president in 2000, McCain was a refreshing and rare politician who was willing to talk on the record for hours to reporters riding the "Straight Talk Express." Because McCain himself has suffered and endured for his country, he has more moral standing to ask for sacrifice than other politicians.

[Smurf-316]

I hope McStain wins.
i'm so sick of Republicans.

[jamwadmag]

Originally Posted by Smurf-316

I hope McStain wins.
i'm so sick of Republicans.