The 'perfect president'?

FALLS VILLAGE — Author and journalist Todd Brewster and Yale Law School professor and author Akhil Reed Amar brought a version of their Salisbury Forum presentation on “The Perfect President� to a group of students at Housatonic Valley Regional High School Friday, Oct. 24.

Brewster and Amar also spoke that evening in the school auditorium on the same topic. The talk was one of an ongoing series sponsored by the Salisbury Forum. This is the first time that the forum has been extended into a classroom setting as well.

Brewster, a veteran of ABC News, began by asking the students, “What is a constitution?�

The answers came quickly. “A foundation for government — a starting point — a written agreement between the government and the people.�

“A foundation, eh?� said Amar. “Maybe that’s why they’re called ‘The Founders.’�

Brewster pointed out that while the Constitution begins with the plural pronoun — “We, the people� — the presidential oath of office uses the first person singular: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.�

“The English will get a little offended if you point out they have no written constitution� noted Amar. Brewster added,  “We assume that a ‘constitution’ is an American one. Other countries don’t identify with their constutions as readily.�

“The oath means that he or she will do the best they can,� said Amar of the presidential oath. “It’s kind of scary. And while the Congress and the Supreme Court are multi-member bodies, and not always in session, the president is always on duty.�

“The founders were a little concerned about the role of president,� continued Amar. “It’s in the title: to preside. John Adams said it sounded like the head of a cricket club.�

“The perfect president should have a strong sense of theater,� said Brewster. “He understands that small gestures mean a lot. He understands symbolism. He knows the elements of persuasive language — rhythm, timing.

“George Washington loved the theater, which was considered disreputable at the time. And it was pure theater when he wore his spectacles in public and said, ‘Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have grown not only gray, but almost blind in the service of my country.’ 

“His political opposition just melted away after that.�

The perfect president is prepared, but not too prepared.

“John Quincy Adams was highly educated and groomed for the job from an early age,� said Brewster. “At age 14, with his excellent French, he was the translator for the United States at the imperial Russian court in St. Petersburg.

“But he had no instinct for theater, and his presidency was a failure.�

The perfect president is intelligent but not too intelligent, Brewster said, using the example of the brainy but hapless Woodrow Wilson against the limited but effective Ronald Reagan, whose communication skills were second to none.

This example sparked some discussion. “Leadership is not an intellectual act,� began Brewster. “What are some characteristics of good leaders?�

The answers came. “In control — selfless — laid-back — compassionate — courageous — well-rounded — open-minded — has a way with words.�

And this question: Isn’t it the case today that it’s not so much a president’s way with words as that of his media handlers?

Brewster replied, “It’s always been a collaborative effort. Usually the person speaking has considerable input.�

“The speechwriter writes what he believes the president would say if he had the time to write,� added Amar. “The JFK line, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country’ is often attributed to John Kenneth Galbraith. But when I asked Kennedy’s speechwriter Theodore Sorensen if he actually wrote Kennedy’s book, ‘Profiles in Courage,’ he replied, ‘Ask not...’

“So who knows?� said Amar. He pointed to a sign on the wall of the auditorium: “Writing Is Thinking.�

“That sign is correct,� stated Amar. “JFK and Reagan both wrote for themselves, and were very effective.�

The perfect president must know his mind, Amar said. “Stuff happens, often at the least convenient time. The president must react. If Lincoln hadn’t acted unilaterally, Washington, D.C., would have been surrounded and taken by the rebels in two weeks, tops.�

“The perfect president is not infallible,� said Brewster. “He promises to do the job to the ‘best of my ability.’   And notice that the oath is to protect and preserve the Constitution, not the country.

“And he is lucky in his predecessor: Lincoln followed Buchanan, for instance.

“Buchanan did nothing while the Confederacy formed,� said Amar. “He is in the lowest circle of presidential hell. 

“And Hoover did nothing when the markets crashed. He was immobilized.�

Brewster chimed in. “To Hoover’s defense, he thought doing nothing was the way to go, according to the conventional wisdom of the time, which had seen boom-and-bust cycles before.�

A student asked if the next president will benefit from the unpopularity of the incumbent.

“Too soon to tell,� replied Amar. “Look at Truman’s numbers when he left office, yet he is regarded as one of the better presidents.�

The perfect president has principles “and knows when to toss them� said Brewster. “Thomas Jefferson believed in small government and balanced budgets, yet he went ahead with the Louisiana Purchase.�

The perfect president is ready to be surprised. “Bush had a humbler foreign policy prior to 9/11,� noted Brewster.

And the perfect president is often either a lawyer (25) or soldier (24 served in war). “Which is, incidentally, the choice we have today,â€� commented Amar just as the school  loudspeaker erupted with the results of that day’s mock election.

Which was: With 227 of 560 eligible voters participating, Barack Obama won with 166 votes, with John McCain a distant second at 38, and “Uncommitted� getting 23.