Posted on 05/06/2009 7:28:10 AM PDT by re_tail20
Was America’s greatest general and first president also a political philosopher? Regent University professor Jeffry H. Morrison says yes, in his just-published book, The Political Philosophy of George Washington. He recently took questions from NRO’s John J. Miller.
JOHN J. MILLER: George Washington was a lot of things — a general, a president, a symbol of hope and inspiration for people with wooden teeth — but was he also an intellectual? Did he actually develop a political philosophy?
JEFFRY H. MORRISON: He was and he did, though it sounds a little highfalutin to put it that way. Washington developed a simple but coherent and consistent political philosophy — for example, nonpartisanship and cooperation of church and state at home, neutrality abroad — during his half-century public career. He wasn’t in the same class as Jefferson or John Adams in terms of education or intellectual horsepower. But even Jefferson ranked Washington’s Farewell Address with The Federalist Papers as one of the best texts of American political principle — texts he wanted taught in law classes at his University of Virginia, by the way.
(Excerpt) Read more at article.nationalreview.com ...
Imagine going back in time and asking him about same-sex marriage. I think you’d get a very puzzled look, followed shortly by a slap in the face!
He was one of the best but ‘greatest general? Thats a bit much.
BTTT.
“He was one of the best but ‘greatest general? That’s a bit much.
On the contrary, it’s probably gross understatement. Here was a very wealthy and successful man, recruited by the continental congress to lead a rag-tag army against the finest fighting force in the world. He placed EVERYTHING at risk—including, of course, his life and all of his property—and with measures of luck, brilliance, tenacity and unparalled reliance upon honor, he was victorious. Read the story of his years as leader of the army, cajoling unpaid troops to re-enlist for a few months at a time, having Paine’s “Crisis” read to his army prior to the extraordinary victory at Trenton and finally relinquishing congessionally granted absolute power—the authority of a king—back to congress with nothing more than an expression of humility. Washington was not only America’s greatest general. He was arguably America’s greatest MAN!
I don't know....IMHO, starting from scratch and defeating the world's pre-eminent imperial power while fighting for a marginally cohesive confederation of states probably qualifies among the greatest acts of generalship in American Military History.
I have a theory that Washington could have taken the greatest prize this world has ever known: King of America. He was certainly popular enough to name himself king. Yet he refused this. My theory is based on the fact that he had no children of his own. He married a widow with children, yet they had none together. This made it easier for GW to refuse a kingship because he was only saying no for himself. It may have been harder for him to reject a great gift for his generations to come if he had any. So I think that it was fate that he was childless.
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