Blog 559 – 02.28.2017

The President’s Speech

Thirty years ago and two years in to his second term President Ronald Reagan’s administration was in big trouble. Trouble so big, the Iran/Contract Affair, that many were wondering if the Watergate days of pending impeachment and a President resigning in disgrace might be about to repeat themselves. President Reagan a much wiser politician than President Nixon had appointed The Tower Commission headed by former Senator John Tower (R) and former Secretary of State, Edmund Muskie (D) to look into the facts and report what had actually happened. The report was critical of President Reagan’s lax management style regarding his National Security Team of advisors and his inattention to policy in allowing underlings to execute the selling of arms to Iran while we were also supporting Iraq in the Iraq/Iran War in an effort to secure the release of American citizens held hostage by Iran. It was a terrible mess but to his credit President Reagan took responsibility and made changes to both his management style and his attention to policy regarding his National Security Team. Heads rolled, figuratively, but cooler heads including his prevailed.

Though I voted for Ronald Reagan both times that he was elected President I do not think he deserves to be honored on Mount Rushmore as one of our greatest Presidents. Yesterday I heard the speech that he gave after the Tower Commission report came out thirty years ago and I remember why many of us thought so much of him then. He really was a great communicator and a good listener which is a must in communication. He listened to the people and the Tower Commission Report because he knew as many seem to forget that all political power resides in the people in a Democratic Republic. We the people, not the Media, not the Corporations, not the Lobbyists, not the Special Interest Groups, nor any one socio-economic, ethnic, or religious group, but we the people, all the people, will ultimately decide the direction this country will go. Those unwilling to lead according to the will of the people will watch the parade from the sidelines. It has happened before and will happen again. One of those great Presidents pictured on Mount Rushmore said, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” All the really great Presidents believed in the innate goodness and sense of fair-play of the American people and saw themselves first and foremost as public servants.

Another great one who took on the role of a servant once said, “Nothing is done in secret but shall be shouted from the housetops.” Secret plots are always revealed. Honesty and openness are always the best policies to follow with people and it is so much harder to keep straight the lies you told last. Harry Truman, who was President when I was born spoke plainly if crudely at times. A couple of his more memorable and printable lines regarding the Presidency are: “The buck stops here” and “If you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen.” President Nixon finally realized it was no good blaming the press, the other party or even his own and when the heat got too hot for him he got out of the kitchen. Maybe he was a lot smarter than many gave him credit, in the end at least.

Mr. President, movies will be made about your Presidency. You are barely one month in and there is still time to make it one of those great American movies where there is a happy ending instead of one of those sad European or British (So sorry that union appears to have ended) movies where someone loses their head or it just ends abruptly. I wish you well and a great legacy of making things better for the people – The First People, the immigrants (most of us), the late comers, and those yet to arrive by birth or other means.

Your friend and fellow traveler,
David White