ADVICE FOR THE NEXT PRESIDENT
April 2nd, 2008, 4:16 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Dan Lehr
Dr. David Abshire (pictured at right with former Tennessee Senator Bill Brock), former NATO Ambassador, Special Counsel to President Reagan, prolific author & Chattanooga native, spoke at a “fireside chat” at UTC earlier today.
Abshire is the author of the above book, A Call to Greatness: Advice for the Next President. It’s a book he’s given to each of the presidential candidates.
had a chance to ask him a few questions about the next president after he spoke; after the jump, a full transcript of his answers.
Full disclosure: we didn’t actually personally interview Dr. Abshire, but we did give a NewsChannel9 photographer a list of questions to ask, which he did (thanks, David!).
:Which _past_ presidency do you think the _next_ presidency draws the greatest comparison?
Dr. David Abshire: Franklin Roosevelt before & following Pearl Harbor, because we face an incomparable crisis where the country had to be mobilized. Today we face a very different type of crisis, at home & abroad, near & far, long term & short term. It’s a perfect storm. Terrible storm. With other storms following. And Roosevelt, who was not a genius like Lincoln, but knew how to create a bipartisan cabinet which he’d done before Pearl Harbor, get the best talent regardless of party, & build the coalitions & mobilize the country, & make up with his weaknesses with the strengths of other people — that’s leadership.
: You’re no doubt aware of the phrase “Only Nixon could go to China.” Which specific third-rail issues or political taboos do you think each of the three presidential candidates have the potential to confront, to make that phrase apply to them?
Dr. David Abshire: Well, I think we’re all concerned about the challenge of Iran. I think [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadenijad is an outlandish person. I have an associate of mine who’s been over there with the National Academy. You’ve got a pro-American attitude. & with Ahmadenijad we’ve got to play so he’s isolated & the moderates like Khatami, the former president, re-emerge. & I think it’s possible that a new president could not open negotiations, this is where we get off. But have an envoy, maybe first in secret discussions, to see where there’s leverage, & build up a situation where Ahmadenijad’s hand is rather forced in some of these things. Because he was brought in to improve the economy & it’s lousy. & he’s using these threats to build himself up. It’s a very difficult thing because we can’t let him get nuclear weapons. But that’s a case. & you know Roosevelt had a Harry Hopkins that would go out as his envoy & as Nixon had Henry Kissinger, not to go to China initially to negotiate, but to see where the leverage lay.
: What key failures has President George W. Bush committed as president that the next president should avoid domestically or internationally?
Dr. David Abshire: Well, I believe domestically or internationally, we’re in such a situation, you’ve got to move from the strength of bipartisanship as Roosevelt did when we got to the war with a bipartisan cabinet, Truman & the great Cold War leaders, in the Reagan administration had 3 very prominent Democrats working for him, he had Tip O’Neill down there twice a week, swapping jokes, doin’ deals. That’s strength. We’ve got to recreate that kind of strength, because our enemies around the world want a divided America. So Number One Strategic Requirement: Create a united America. If we don’t, this next president will be one term, & this country will start into decline.
: In which ways do you believe the next president should emulate George W. Bush?
Dr. David Abshire: For him, to want to be the educational president when Republicans earlier wanted to abolish the Department of Education was a magnificent thing. & he joined Kennedy in his initial issue. Some of the things on No Child Left Behind need to be rethought, but don’t throw everything out. Build upon that, modify, & the noble purposes he had on education & No Child Left Behind should be followed up & built upon. I give that as a major example.
Our photographer had a good question of his own: Are there things that we the American people are missing about what’s going on in Washington politically & socially, are there things — not necessarily insider things, but things that aren’t necessarily being communicated through the media, things that we’re just not getting?
Dr. David Abshire: Absolutely. Despite the low ratings of the Congress, & the low ratings of the administration, there are so many fine people. Senator John Warner just retiring being one. We had a big dinner for him. Robert Gates coming in as Secretary of Defense. He worked with the Iraq Study Group, trying very hard — I wish he’d been in there 3 years earlier — trying to right the ship from past mistakes. & you’ve got the same thing on the Democratic side. We’ve got some good committee chairs & we’ve got people who want to work bipartisan even though the system is working against that. & I think the fine people that are working there, & the condemnation that comes with a broken system, they don’t get the recognition in how often these people are profiles in courage & profiles in wisdom.
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Thanks very much for the time, Dr. Abshire. We thought he gave some excellent answers all-round & gave us all a lot to think about. I think he’s right on the money in terms of the need for the American people to come together to face the challenges our nation has. Let’s all dedicate ourselves to working toward reconciliation.
