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Political implications

Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 8:29 pm
by DWill
Burton touches only obliquely on politics. He prefaces a chapter with a quotation by G.W. Bush: "What the American people want in their president is certainty." (Words to that effect.) The quotation raises the question of how a "feeling of knowing" may have influenced Bush's decisions regarding Iraq. Beyond that, is Bush correct about what we want in a president? Is certainty what we seem to value most, a steely resolve backed by strong moral rectitude? Or do we value more highly leaders who do not trumpet their certainty but nevertheless act as they believe is necessary, such as Abraham Lincoln? I just wondered if anyone has a comment.