From the New York Times, 6/15/2011
To the Editor:
Re “Politicians Behaving Well” (column, June 10):
Why does David Brooks feel the need to refer back to Edmund Burke and Anthony Trollope to find an exemplary politician? We have one in the White House.
President Obama has been excoriated by both the left and the right with the most extreme and unrealistic invective used against any president in my lifetime, yet has never responded in kind. He has treated his opponents with respect, even when their opposition was beyond disrespectful.
He has taken the time to reflect and seek the counsel of the wise and learned, even when he was being accused of inaction, yet has acted decisively when necessary. And he has taken the opportunity to instruct us in our highest concerns, even when the throng was calling for soaring rhetoric.
In short, he has personified precisely the standards of political excellence Burke set forth. If only the American electorate cared.
DAVID BERMAN
New York, June 10, 2011
2 comments:
"In short, he (Obama) has personified precisely the standards of political excellence Burke set forth. If only the American electorate cared." Sorry, just can't help it. ROTFL
ps. check out Arthur's recent essay:
http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com
This letter summarizes my thoughts very well, and I appreciate so much when the character of this President is recognized. While I often disagree and sometimes get angry about the Presidents temperate approach, ultimately I respect him for it, and know that the real disservice is done by those who will not respond with reason. Concerning his opponents on the left who equate compromise and common ground with betrayal: I yearn for the day that americans recognize that while outrage and confrontation may be emotionally satisfying, they do not lead to progress.
Reminds me of a quote I read today
Because you grasp labels and slogans,
You are hindered by those labels and slogans,
Both those used in ordinary life and those
Considered sacred.
Thus they obstruct your perception
Of objective truth,
And you cannot understand clearly.
- Linji (d. 867)
This is something that President Obama understands, but many of us have yet to realize.
Pam
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