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Perfect nominee?
Dear Editor,
Is there such a thing as a perfect nominee?
With the primary on May 13 and the presidential election Nov. 4, we are evaluating candidates.
George Washington, our first president, was a stern disciplinarian. At first, he was not in favor of declaring American independence from Great Britain. He was made commander in chief of the Revolutionary Army in 1775 after rights of the colonists were violated. As a Federalist, he believed in strong government control.
John Adams, second president, was the lawyer who defended British soldiers who fired on civilians during the Boston Massacre. He questioned the feasibility of separation from the British. Later, he objected to taxation without representation and signed the Declaration of Independence. Like Washington, he was a Federalist.
Thomas Jefferson, third president, was a Democrat Republican. He believed in the consent of those who were governed. Even though he was a slaveholder, he drew up an ordinance forbidding slavery after 1800 in the Northwest Territory, a region between the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
James Madison, fourth president, opposed the free interpretation of the Constitution by the Federalists.
James Monroe, fifth president, supported the Missouri Compromise. It allowed slavery in Missouri, but not elsewhere west of the Mississippi. He developed the Monroe Doctrine, a foreign policy opposing European control in the Western hemisphere.
Our new president must deal with major problems. Over 78 million baby boomers will turn 65 and will need Medicare benefits. There are big losses in Iraq where we have sent troops for five years. Our economy is in a recession and there is great unemployment. Gas prices have constantly risen.
There is no such thing as a perfect president. We will have to hope for a capable vice-president and good advice from cabinet members.
Helen Ruth Arnold,
McCook