Teddy Roosevelt on Criticizing the President
posted August 5, 2008 - 3:05pmThere have been a fair number of arguments and articles written about the perceived need to not criticize George Bush in time of war and to treat the office of president with respect and civility, regardless of who owns that title.
I disagree with that assessment, if for no other reason than the Constitution makes We the People the sovereigns in the United States and, by extension, makes those holding office in Washington our servants.
But, whom am I but one man? Some would argue that, because I am espousing these views that I am somehow unpatriotic, unamerican, and possibly guilty of sedition. How funny. Let's take a look at the words of arguably the finest American president of the 20th Century, Theodore Roosevelt.
Quote:
"He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able and disinterested service to the nation as a whole.
"Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile.
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or anyone else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else."
What this tells us is that those of us who feel George Bush is doing something less than his sworn Constitutional duty get to have an opinion about his performance and get to express it widely and openly. Those who oppose someone expressing an opinion--especially when that opinion is a politically-inconvenient truth--should examine their own understanding of the principles on which this country was founded.
For further reading, I point the reader to this excellent article by Devvy Kidd:
CRITICIZING THE PRESIDENT DURING A TIME OF WAR
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