Peggy Noonan: The President Within

Opinion Journal ^ | 11/16/2001 | Peggy Noonan

[Pokey78]

He walked into history an obscure, flat footed, bantamy little fellow in a light gray suit, the inhabitant of an eloquence-free zone who gave boring speeches in a flat voice. He was not compelling. This was more obvious because he followed a charismatic leader who did big things and filled the screen. He was quickly defined and dismissed by the opinion elite as "a first-rate second-rate man." And maybe at the beginning he feared the appraisal was correct, for when he became president he said very frankly that he felt the moon and the stars had fallen upon him.

[gridlock]

No man personally responsible for the death of a single human being was, is, or ever shall be, a great man.

I gotta agree with you, BushMeister. This has got to be about the stupidest thing I have ever seen written down. Does anybody else have anything even close?

Surely something Algore said approaches this kind of rock-hard density of stupid, but I can't think of any right now. Can anybody top this?

[Stand Watch Listen]

Only one problem with this. At 6', 190 pounds, the President can hardly be described as "bantamy," .....

Please reread the first 3 paragraphs...Peggy Noonan was referring to Harry S Truman.

[Not gonna take it anymore]

Mr. Bush also followed a charismatic leader, and I do not mean Mr. Clinton. Mr. Clinton, whose eight years in the presidency could be compressed like an accordion into one inch of meaning, was no FDR. The charismatic figure Mr. Bush follows is the last big American president, the last who had the massive presence of a battleship, Ronald Reagan.

Great column.

[ohioWfan]

And I believe we are seeing the makings of a similar greatness in George W. Bush, the bantamy, plain-spoken, originally uninspiring man who through a good heart and a good head, through gut and character, simple well-meaningness and love of country is, in his own noncompelling way, doing the right tough things at a terrible time.

Looks like she thinks they're both 'bantamy'.

[ohioWfan]

No offense to the real bantams! It's just that the President is more of a middle-weight (well, maybe heavy) IMO, like my husband, who is also 6' and 190 lb., and absolutely my favorite person!

[SuziQ]

To the rest of you smitten fans-You will LOVE this article, I guarantee it, that is, if you can pull yourself away from Rintense's thread long enough to read this gem! LOL

Hey Republic! What do you wanna bet that Peggy is a fan of the 'Dose'?

[Wphile]

I saw her on Matthews too and I thought it interesting that she pointed out that W was like Truman in that he has to make all the tough choices and clean up the mess - in Truman's case, WWII, and in W's case, Bill Clinton. Ain't that the truth!

[walden]

"No man personally responsible for the death of a single human being was, is, or ever shall be, a great man."

"A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which he cares about more than he does about his personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

-John Stuart Mill

Guess we know which category you fall into.

[occam's chainsaw]

No man personally responsible for the death of a single human being was, is, or ever shall be, a great man.

What a baldwin!

[gridlock]

No man personally responsible for the death of a single human being was, is, or ever shall be, a great man.

I don't think Neville Chamberlin was directly responsible for the death of a single human being. Yet he was a dynamic political leader and negotiated an important agreement. Was he a great man?

[ChemistCat]

How in HECK can I address this guy without making a personal attack???????????

On this thread is proof that America needs to embark on some kind of breed-for-brains program, PRONTO.

[austinTparty]

He is ON TIME when he goes places. There is an essential courtesy in the man that only arises in a person with a deep understanding of what other people need.

There is that old saying: "Punctuality is the courtesy of kings."

[jackbill]

Mr. Clinton, whose eight years in the presidency could be compressed like an accordion into one inch of meaning,

Now, that is truly a Keeper!!

Peggy has done it again - the most succinct description of the Clinton legacy.

[Earl B.]

Bump.

[alloysteel]

George W. Bush has indeed grown to fill the job - in ways neither his detractors, who are legion, or his greatest boosters, could have even imagined on January 21, 2001.

The tendency among his supporters was to compare him to the potential they once saw in Ronaldus Magnus, before his climb within the Republican party after 1964. But the comparison to Harry S Truman is far more apt. Harry had an astonishingly quick wit, and the "brain-trusters", the FDR elite, dismissed him at their own peril. They thought Harry was a country rube from Missouri, and could not possibly add anything to the discourse that was going on. Difference was, Harry was President, and they weren't. Harry used his position about as well as anyone could have, in those days. They soon learned that if Harry proposed it, that they had better be getting on board, PDQ.

[DooDahhhh]

Do you know where to buy one of those W lunchboxes?

[nopardons]

Then, I take it that you don't think that George Washington was a " great " man either.

I guess that you feel utter contempt for Jesus Christ too. After all, many of his followers have been killed for believing in HIM.

Sometimes it would be better for you to THINK about what your words mean, BEFORE you post a reply. : - )

[MadIvan]

If he says that Winston Churchill wasn't a great man for that reason, and I will have a hard time containing the Fist of Painful and Extremely Messy Death.

Regards, Ivan

[nopardons]

Now you are comparing President Bush with Stalin and Hitler ?

Which fringe party candidate is your preferred " idol " ? You know, the one who can say / do no wrong, no matter how stupid, illogical, crazy, unworkable garbage he stands for? It just sticks in your craw , that this president is doing well; doesn't it ?

[Old Student]

I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one. President Truman also saved at least a million American lives, and perhaps many millions of Japanese lives. He did it by making a very hard decision. I'm sure it haunted him all his remaining days, too.

It would have been much worse if he had not done so.