In Peggy Noonan’s column today there’s one small out of context snippet I found thought provoking. Of a couple of senator’s who’d been cursed out by John McCain on the floor of the Senate she writes:
The talk turned to presidents they had known, and why they had wanted the job. This one wanted it as the last item on his résumé, that one wanted it out of an inflated sense of personal destiny. Is that why Mr. McCain wants it? “No”, said one, reflectively. “He wants to help the country.” The other added, with almost an air of wonder, “He wants to make America stronger, he really does.” And then they spoke, these two men who’d been bruised by him, of John McCain’s honest patriotism.
Among recent presidents I have various thoughts about why they wanted to be president. For Ronald Reagan I think the grand reason was that he genuinely wanted to make the country resemble the “shining city on a hill” that it always was in his heart’s eye. The more prosaic reason is that he wanted to fight communism. He won.
I think that George H. W. Bush wanted to be president because it was his turn. Not particularly grand, but there it is.
I have no idea why either Bill Clinton or George W. Bush wanted to be president. To help people? To make the country a better place? I truly believe that every president wants that. They aren’t distinguishing visions. The power? The attention?
I continue to have no idea why Barack Obama wants to be president. I think it may be to make Americans more equal which some will see as a grand objective and some will see as a curse. I see it as an objective impossible on the face of it.
If you’ve got on opinion on this subject, please back it up with documentation or keep it to yourself.
译文:
为什么想成为总统？
在今日佩姬·努南的专栏中，我发现了一些让我很是愤怒的内容，内容与一对曾经在参议院被麦卡恩咒骂的参议员有关，她这样写到：
谈话围绕着他们所熟知的总统以及为什么他们想要当总统来展开。这位想要当总统是因为他还有最后一届任期，那位想要当总统是因为他感知到这是个人的命运所决定的。麦卡恩想要当总统也是因为这些原因吗？“不。”其中的一个人沉思着说到，“他是想要帮助这个国家。”另一个人做了补充----脸上带着惊叹的表情，“他想让美国变得更强大，他真的是这样想的。”之后这两个曾经被麦卡恩中伤的人讨论起了他诚挚的爱国情怀。
在近年来的这些总统中，对于他们为什么想要成为总统我很是不解。当年的罗纳德·里根总统，我认为他想成为总统的是因为他真心地想要让美国成为“伟大而耀眼的国家”，这一直是他底的愿望。说得平俗一点，是因为他想战胜共产主义，他胜利了。
乔治H.W.布什想成为总统我认为是继承父业吧。虽然这个理由听起来不怎么华丽，但事实就是这样。
我想不出为什么比尔·克林顿和乔治W.布什想要成为总统。为了帮助他的人民？为了把这个国家建设得更美好？这并不稀奇，我认为每一位总统都是那么想的。那是为了权利？为了引起注意？
我也搞不明白为什么巴拉克·奥巴马想要成为总统。我猜想是为了让美国人民变得更平等。在一些人看来这种平等是非常好的，而另一些人则认为不认可这种平等。我认为奥巴马是不可能为了这个目标而希望成为总统的。
如果你认同这篇文章，请用证据支持它，或者你也可以收藏它。