Michael Beschloss' 'Presidential Courage'

Michael Beschloss' latest book, Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America, 1789-1989, is a worthwhile read.

In it, Beschloss chronicles the fortitude demonstrated by George Washington, John Adams, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan in specific circumstances of their presidential tenures.

In each instance, the Presidents profiled risked their political futures and legacies, pushing policies they felt would help the country, in spite of the fierce opposition they knew they had to withstand.

In several instances, Beschloss portrays chief executives of both deep principle and great political wiliness, possessing that rare instinct for striking politically at just the right time.

That's certainly true of Washington's push for the Jay Treaty with Great Britain, an agreement that many of his contemporaries portrayed as a capitulation to the one-time Mother Country. But Washington knew that the accord would give the US the breathing room needed to develop as a nation, unencumbered by conflict with great European powers. Washington endured withering criticism and unlike his unlucky successor, John Adams, who was turned out of office for his efforts to keep the young republic out of war, emerged as beloved as he had been before the Jay controversy.

Washington, described elsewhere by historian Garry Wills as the greatest political figure in world history, may have had his twentieth-century counterpart in Franklin Roosevelt. FDR wasn't nearly as principled or personally ethical as Washington. Yet, this man who was both a charming extrovert and a loner who kept his own counsel, was able to negotiate the prevailing currents of American isolationism in order to prepare his country for war. Roosevelt, unlike most Americans, understood early that the territorial ambitions of Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy would inevitably drag the United States into a world war, whether as arms supplier or combatant. As much as we laud vision in leaders, vision becomes problematic when the leader forsees unpleasant events, like world wars. One of my seminary professors used to tell me that a great communicator is one who can meet those she or he leads where they are and recognizing the variance between their positions, persuades people to gradually see things his or her way. Roosevelt was a great communicator and a great leader who, in the face of great peril, demonstrated presidential courage.

Most of the presidents profiled by Beschloss had certain rock-bottom principles that acted as compasses for their actions, irrespective of the possible political consequences. One exception might be John Kennedy, who finally saw the need for a civil rights initiative--stalled in Congress at the time of his assassination on November 22, 1963--but who was never enthusiastic about it. In fact, I question Kennedy's inclusion in this book.

Beschloss' book definitely aspires to be a popular history, in the best sense of that word. We need more such books, written to instruct interested adults, because, as Kennedy himself once wrote, "A knowledge of the past prepares us for the crises of the present and the challenge of the future."

Beschloss writes economically. Short sentences. Short paragraphs. But each paragraph is apt to reflect a number of original source materials. He may not have an advanced degree in History and he may be viewed somewhat disdainfully by historians who see his failure to talk about the history of ideas as a deficiency, but I like Beschloss. While prevailing ideas, the metaphysics of a given time, are important in looking at historical events, people--as individuals and in groups--make or respond to events. History is really the story of the human race. In this presidential version of Profiles in Courage, a book in which Kennedy wrote about courageous actions taken by members of the United States Senate, we see how some of our better presidents applied courage to their work.

With the 2008 election upon us, voters might very well ask, "When have the people seeking our votes this year demonstrated courage? When have they told constituents, friends, co-workers, or co-partisans things those folks might not have wanted to hear? When have they demonstrated that peculiar blend of idealism and wiliness every great politician...every great President...must have to accomplish great things?"

Occasionally, Beschloss gives attention to the religious views of the Presidents he studies, making me think that he may be planning on writing the very book I intend to write, one on the faith lives of our Chief Executives and how faith impacted their decision-making. In an era in which faith has become controversial, this would be a welcome and helpful book, I think.

Until Beschloss (or I) produce such a book, I recommend Presidential Courage.

[For related reading, see here, here, here and here.]

[THANKS TO: Joe Gandelman of The Moderate Voice for linking to this post.]