Happy Birthday, Mr. President
Feb. 22, 2007 is more than the sum of its parts
By AcademicElephant Posted in Culture — Comments (2) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
What a day--as Anna Nicole Smith's survivors squabble over her decaying corpse, Britney and K-Fed squabble over who is the least bad parent to their children, and the IAEA, UN and Iran squabble over who should have the capability to rain nuclear hell down on their enemies, it might behoove us all to remember that this apparently-ignominious day stands for more than the current news cycle. It is also the 275th anniversary of George Washington's birth. Ours is certainly a crazy country where you can pop pills all day (if you have the proper prescription), shave your head on camera or protest that your own nation is responsible for the destructive policies of a rogue regime. None of these activities may seem, on the surface, to serve the common good--indeed, it could be argued that they are to varying degrees dangerous and destructive. But the point is that be you a playmate, a pop princess or The Pagan Student Association at the University of Georgia, you are free to choose your own path. But this was not a foregone conclusion--a sort of pre-ordained, inevitable right for our country. As we watch democracy die in Venezuela and desperately struggle to be born in Iraq, we should take a moment this February 22nd to give thanks for a man who, with a quiet dignity and strength of purpose, fought so hard to give us that freedom.
Happy Birthday, Mr. President. I'm looking forward to your tricentennial.
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The more I find out about Washington, the more I am amazed by him. He was a man to whom we can all relate... full of foibles, prejudices, and insecurities. A man of common clay, who rose to the occasion, though not smoothly and with grace. A barely adequate tactician, he was nonetheless a remarkable military leader because he personified leadership as a quality. He was courageous, loyal, a superb athlete, was posessed of a large physical stature, and had tremendous personal charisma. He and he alone held the Continental Army together at Valley Forge with his near daily treks through the ranks, chiding, bolstering, and cajoling his troops.
He was bluntly dogmatic in accomplishing that which he set out to accomplish, though he frequently stumbled and fell along the way. By the time he encamped at valley Forge, he had been kicked out of New York and lost several consecutive major battles... and not by a little bit, but rather his Army had been mauled and worse than decimated. His single greatest attribute was his vision of what could be. He eventually beat the greatest army in the world at the time, and it only took eight years of continuous struggle to do it.
With all of this, and with what he risked to achieve his vision for the Federation, he was nonetheless a private person, who repeatedly refused power when it was thrust upon him. They offered to make him the first US king, and he refused, retiring instead to Mt. Vernon. He was later elected our first President, and took the post somewhat reluctantly. He could have been president for life, but again he refused.
When informed of Washington's refusal to sieze and hold power beyond what he felt was useful for the country, King George was said to have replied, "If this be true, he is the greatest man alive."
Happy Birthday, Mr. president. And thank you.
On Monday, C-SPAN aired a visit Brian Lamb had made earlier in the month to Mount Vernon. I have to visit again, because much has changed since I saw it as a child. (Yes, they even have a pair of denture's on display!)
Considering what General Washington did as commander of a rebel army and as the first President of a new republic, the gravity of the situations, the odds against him, I have to imagine that were the circumstances similar, someone of like passion and talents would emerge.
Likewise with President Reagan, now that we do need another. Someone will emerge, and who that is might surprise us.