In The Company Of Greatness

Michael Barone has a great article today discussing President Bush's numerological partnership with Presidents Washington, Lincoln, and Roosevelt. He points out that seventy-two years ago Franklin Roosevelt took office, and seventy-two years before that Abraham Lincoln did the same, who was preceded seventy-two years earlier by George Washington. Those three are quite possibly the three greatest presidents in American history, and it seems only fitting that their presidencies, as well as the presidency of George W. Bush, are separated by the same lengths of time.

Washington, Lincoln, and Roosevelt all arose to answer the challenge of their times, which were undoubtedly the most trying in our nation's existence. President Washington took office with the daunting task of leading a new republic, unlike any ever seen in the world. Aware of the precedent he was setting for his successors, Washington was able to lead a new nation while establishing and shaping the American Presidency at the same time.

President Lincoln came to office in the midst of the nation's greatest crisis. Faced with the possibility of America falling in division, Lincoln, through great leadership and courage, somehow held the nation together all the while setting it on a new course where people of color would eventually receive their full rights. Lincoln's belief in the greatness of America and the righteousness of democracy is one of the most inspiring aspects of our history, and there is little doubt as to why he is the most heralded president in our history.

President Roosevelt took the oath of office with the nation in the midst of it's worst economic downturn ever. Roosevelt achieved his greatness not in any particular program or initiative he signed to address this, but rather in his ability to help Americans believe in their country again. This was only accentuated as Roosevelt led the America that defeated Nazism and Fascism and liberated Western Europe.

Had these three men not been leading America at the times they did, this nation and this world would look vastly different than it does today, and it wouldn't be for the better. The times in which these men lead were, as Barone puts it, "moments when men mattered." Each were moments where America faced a turning point, and each moment demanded a leader who was equal to the task.

Though the challenges that confront this nation are not as dire as they were under the three men above, America is again experiencing a turning point. Faced with the destructive threat of Islamofascism, President Bush has seized the opportunity to reshape the world, introducing freedom in a region where it has never existed. Through his actions he has not only helped millions achieve the universal dream of freedom, but he has insured that our children will live in a safer, more secure world. Only time will tell if history regards President Bush in the same context as Washington, Lincoln, and Roosevelt, but it is safe to say that if it weren't for the president our world would look vastly different than it does today, and it wouldn't be for the better.