Barbour comment echoes Stennis

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November 22, 2009

Anonymous The Meridian Star Sun Nov 22, 2009, 12:06 AM CST

By Bill Crawford

guest columnist

Did you catch Governor Haley Barbour on Meet the Press?

There he was with Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell talking about, among other things, President Obama and troop levels for Afghanistan. Up until that point, the discussion went as expected, with Rendell supporting Obama’s domestic policies and Barbour criticizing them. Then, Haley said something that caught my attention…and reminded me so much of the late Sen. John Stennis.

“I’m one of those who believes that in foreign policy the politics ought to stop at the border’s edge,” said Barbour. “And I’ve always believed that. I believed it when I was in Ronald Reagan’s White House and I believe it no matter who the president is….If the president does the right thing here, I’m going to applaud him. If he doesn’t, I’m not going to criticize him.”

Whoa, Nellie! I remembered Sen. Stennis saying something like that during his era, but today politicians (on both sides) seem to draw no lines. Everything is fair game, no matter the consequences to troops, diplomacy, or country.

I looked for the Stennis comment and found it at the New York Times: “The Senator said in an interview that he never tried to second-guess a President on foreign policy and military matters. ‘I lean with the President on our system of government,’ he declared, expressing a view that many modern senators consider old-fashioned. ‘Makes no difference who he is. I would back those fellows on a lot of things.’"

Comments like these arise from character traits, based on values that transcend politics. The late Sonny Montgomery would say the comments above arise from patriotism. Certainly, his similar comments did.

Some say character and politics don’t mix today, pointing to scandal after scandal. More often, though, we see party activities scuttling political leaders when character leads them to contrary positions. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is currently enjoying the censure of local Republican Party leaders for positions of character he has taken. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut became an “independent” when Democratic Party activists did not like his.

Leadership guru Stephen Covey says America has transitioned from a nation attuned to “character” to one enamored of “personality.” I hope not totally. I still like to see character jump out now and then.

Giddyup, Nellie!

Bill Crawford, a long-time activist in Mississippi

government, runs a non-profit organization in Meridian.

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