By Edwin Cooney
So, you don’t like Vladimir Putin – me, neither! After all, what’s there to like about
him? Didn’t he used to work for the KGB
(or if you prefer the Soviet Secret Police)?
Of course, he was little more than a paper pusher, but it’s still on his
resume.
However, come to think of it, it didn’t put off Boris
Yeltsin. Every freedom-loving American conservative politician has praised
Yeltsin to the skies, but we still hold Putin’s KBG experience against him even
if Yeltsin didn’t.
Going further with this brief analysis of Putin, he’s a
rather extreme Russian nationalist, so he has to be evil, doesn’t he? After all, we Americans despise extreme
nationalists -- unless they are named Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Barry
Goldwater or maybe Sarah Palin. We even
pray that God will be an extreme American nationalist especially as we ask God
to bless America – and comparatively screw all those foreigners who inhabit the
rest of God’s creation! Who the hell
does Putin think he is bullying Ukraine or Crimea around like that? You don’t
think we’d be that sensitive about Mexico or Canada if they ever exercised
their sovereign prerogative and chose to ally themselves with Putin, would
we? (Fortunately, we wouldn’t have to
worry about Canada too much since Mrs. Palin, living in Alaska as she does,
could keep an eye on both Canada and Russia for us -- if we could get her to
stay home!) Still, I’m with you: I really don’t like what I’ve read about Putin
except that he’s apparently very fond of his dogs.
Since the late 1950s, I’ve taken positions on politicians
left and right, foreign and domestic.
I’ve actually changed my mind both ways on politicians. I once loved Richard Nixon and liked Ronald
Reagan. Today, although I’m prepared to
give credit to both men for the positives in their service to the nation,
neither man draws much in the way of admiration or indeed affection from me.
No, it isn’t because they were “conservative.” Barry Goldwater’s absolute
devotion to standards of equity in judgment evokes my admiration and even
affection.
I’ve had a change of heart about Lyndon Johnson for his
sense of racial justice in his later life and for Hubert Humphrey for his
openness and his principles. I admire men (I’m thinking of former Defense
Secretary Robert Gates and current Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel) whose
patriotism requires them to serve presidents of both political parties.
What I’m getting at here is the realization of how shallow
my own conclusions have been on so many occasions. When I think, for example, of the great men
I’ve not admired I feel just a little sheepish because, as strongly as I’ve
opposed much of their thinking and agenda, I can admire some of what they’ve brought
to the national table. In that group I
include Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Jack Kemp, Bob Dole,
Paul Harvey, Milton Friedman and, yes, although it gags me to write it, even
Newt Gingrich. (Note: although the jury is still out on Rand Paul, as far as
I’m concerned he may be an additional someone to at least grudgingly admire.)
When I was growing up, the list of people to be admired
included Billy Graham, President Eisenhower, J. Edgar Hoover, Queen Elizabeth
II, Dr. Jonas Salk, Babe Ruth, Yogi Berra, Jackie Robinson, and the original
seven astronauts. (Note: Chiang Kai-shek
and of course Winston Churchill topped even the Queen on the international list
of those to be revered.)
So, the questions are obvious, aren’t they? You and I readily know whom we admire, but do
we admire or despise perfectly? The answer to that is "of course not."
Who might you admire, if only you’d allow yourself to do
so? What brings forth your capacity for
admiration other than intellectual or emotional reinforcement of your own
values and conclusions? Don’t the most
admirable among us have glaring weaknesses?
Are there aspects of those you least admire that are worthy of respect?
My admiration for Presidents Carter and Obama is pretty
strong, but I do have some quarrels with both men.
Jimmy Carter with all his admirable insights and deeds was
too self-contained for either his own good or the good of the country. His near contempt for other politicians was
arrogant, silly, and ultimately politically self-destructive.
Barack Obama’s aloofness and avoidance of confrontation
aided him when he ran for president. It allowed him to avoid the “angry black
man” label, but I fear it has gotten in his way when it comes to consensus
building on matters of vital public policies such as health care and economic stimulus. I also have serious reservations about the
ultimate wisdom of his capture and murder of Osama bin Laden. The capacity to commit international homicide
via drone may turn out to be a serious breach of human rights and, sadly, as
much as I’d like to, I can’t blame Reagan, either Bush, or even Rush Limbaugh
for it!
When we’re young we have a tendency to admire or reject the
actions of domestic and foreign leaders by the responses our parents, peers and
teachers demonstrate for them. As time
goes on, however, our personal moods and fears take over. Over the years, our perceptions are
invariably altered for better or worse based on a lifetime of experiencing the
rigors of a changing world.
My understanding of history tells me that the world will never
be as it was when I became acquainted with it.
Ultimately, the world as it will be in the future won’t be my world and
it shouldn’t be. Those born into the
America of 2064 or 2114 will live in a world of their own. It will be a world beyond our judgment and
what’s more…
Happily, it will be absolutely none of our business!
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,
EDWIN COONEY
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