I'm in the middle of reading "Presidential Leadership" and some of the passages remind that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Presidents are often seen very differently with the benefit of hindsight. Who does this passage refer to:

"There is a cowardly imbecile at the head of our government," warned one newspaper. "Disgust with our government is universal," said another critic. In one of the unkindest cuts of all, the dapper Massachusetts senator [I'm removing the names to keep you guessing] called him a "dictator", while another senator XX of Ohio, speaking for the elites of Washington society, wrote him off as "poor white trash."

This is what some people thought of Abraham Lincoln in the 1860s, yet, it certainly sounds similiar to criticisms leveled at George W. Bush today. It's far, far too early to compare Bush to Lincoln, but both Presidents have certainly remained steadfast in their goals (saving the Union and defeating Islamofacism respectively) while those around them wanted to take the easy way out.

I thank God America was blessed with leaders like Washington & Lincoln. I thank God that when Roosevelt died, a man like Truman was in place to follow him. I thank God Ronald Reagan was there to lead us out of the 70s malaise. And, I thank God Bush defeated Gore. I can't imagine what America would look like with President Gore nearly 3 years removed from 9/11, but I can't help but think it'd be a far, far worse place, both in terms of terrorist threats and economic downturns.