Michael Falcone: A Truman History Lesson
There was a moment on Wednesday during Senator John McCain’s speech at the Harry S. Truman Library in Missouri when history and the campaign seemed to collide.
Mr. McCain, the Republican nominee, who is running to be the 44th president of the United States, briefly acknowledged the 33rd occupant of that office. He called Harry Truman, a Democrat, “that humble, good man from Independence, Missouri” who brought a “spirit of can-do patriotism” to the presidency.
Mr. McCain continued:
"When, to his and everyone’s surprise, he assumed the office of the President and the mantle of leader of the free world, he faced the grave and difficult decisions that would end the World War and remake the world out of its ashes.
"He was a man of principle, of wisdom and a deep and abiding love for our country. His accomplishments in war and peace are among the most significant of any president in the Twentieth Century. He succeeded beyond everyone’s expectations — perhaps, even his own — because every day Harry Truman woke up determined to put his country before party and self-interest. We would all be better public servants and the country would be better served if we tried a little more often to keep the example of this good American before us."
With Gov. Sarah Palin facing scrutiny from Democrats as well as Republicans over her qualifications to be vice president, some saw Mr. McCain’s remarks as, perhaps, a way to use a historical reference to ease concerns about his running mate.
But how strong are the parallels?
We asked Randy Sowell, an archivist at the Truman Library, to weigh in. He pointed out that like Governor Palin, Harry Truman started his political career in local government, serving for several years as the administrator of Jackson County, Mo. His responsibilities were not atypical – he was involved in payroll, budgeting and infrastructure issues, among other things, according to Mr. Sowell.
Mr. Truman was elected to the Senate, serving for about a decade, before joining the Democratic ticket for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s fourth term. As a senator, Mr. Truman spent most of his time on domestic issues, and was best-known for his role as chairman of the Truman Committee, which focused on rooting out wasteful spending in the defense industry.
In an interview Mr. Sowell noted that Mr. Truman joined the Democratic ticket only reluctantly. He was the choice of party bosses who worried about the possibility that Vice President Henry A. Wallace might succeed Mr. Roosevelt.
“They didn’t tell Roosevelt that ‘you might die and we don’t want him to be president,’ ” Mr. Sowell said. “But that was on their minds.”
At the time, President Roosevelt famously acknowledged, “I hardly know Truman.”
Mr. Truman was vice president for less than three months before taking office after Mr. Roosevelt’s death in April 1945. Though he inherited a slew of foreign policy challenges, not the least of which were the waning days of the war in Europe and the continuing conflict in the Pacific, Mr. Truman had little foreign policy background and had not traveled much abroad. Mr. Roosevelt had not bothered to brief him extensively either.
Mr. Sowell said that the shadow of President Roosevelt hung over Mr. Truman throughout his presidency: “He was sometimes called the ‘little man’ who wasn’t big enough to fill Roosevelt’s shoes.”
“He was in many respects an average person who was thrust into the presidency and hadn’t really sought it and maybe didn’t even want it,” Mr. Sowell said. “But the responsibility fell on him.”
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Read entire article at NYT blog
Mr. McCain, the Republican nominee, who is running to be the 44th president of the United States, briefly acknowledged the 33rd occupant of that office. He called Harry Truman, a Democrat, “that humble, good man from Independence, Missouri” who brought a “spirit of can-do patriotism” to the presidency.
Mr. McCain continued:
"When, to his and everyone’s surprise, he assumed the office of the President and the mantle of leader of the free world, he faced the grave and difficult decisions that would end the World War and remake the world out of its ashes.
"He was a man of principle, of wisdom and a deep and abiding love for our country. His accomplishments in war and peace are among the most significant of any president in the Twentieth Century. He succeeded beyond everyone’s expectations — perhaps, even his own — because every day Harry Truman woke up determined to put his country before party and self-interest. We would all be better public servants and the country would be better served if we tried a little more often to keep the example of this good American before us."
With Gov. Sarah Palin facing scrutiny from Democrats as well as Republicans over her qualifications to be vice president, some saw Mr. McCain’s remarks as, perhaps, a way to use a historical reference to ease concerns about his running mate.
But how strong are the parallels?
We asked Randy Sowell, an archivist at the Truman Library, to weigh in. He pointed out that like Governor Palin, Harry Truman started his political career in local government, serving for several years as the administrator of Jackson County, Mo. His responsibilities were not atypical – he was involved in payroll, budgeting and infrastructure issues, among other things, according to Mr. Sowell.
Mr. Truman was elected to the Senate, serving for about a decade, before joining the Democratic ticket for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s fourth term. As a senator, Mr. Truman spent most of his time on domestic issues, and was best-known for his role as chairman of the Truman Committee, which focused on rooting out wasteful spending in the defense industry.
In an interview Mr. Sowell noted that Mr. Truman joined the Democratic ticket only reluctantly. He was the choice of party bosses who worried about the possibility that Vice President Henry A. Wallace might succeed Mr. Roosevelt.
“They didn’t tell Roosevelt that ‘you might die and we don’t want him to be president,’ ” Mr. Sowell said. “But that was on their minds.”
At the time, President Roosevelt famously acknowledged, “I hardly know Truman.”
Mr. Truman was vice president for less than three months before taking office after Mr. Roosevelt’s death in April 1945. Though he inherited a slew of foreign policy challenges, not the least of which were the waning days of the war in Europe and the continuing conflict in the Pacific, Mr. Truman had little foreign policy background and had not traveled much abroad. Mr. Roosevelt had not bothered to brief him extensively either.
Mr. Sowell said that the shadow of President Roosevelt hung over Mr. Truman throughout his presidency: “He was sometimes called the ‘little man’ who wasn’t big enough to fill Roosevelt’s shoes.”
“He was in many respects an average person who was thrust into the presidency and hadn’t really sought it and maybe didn’t even want it,” Mr. Sowell said. “But the responsibility fell on him.”
And the rest, as they say, is history.