John Adams had a message for Barack Obama
On the eve of Barack Obama’s inauguration, I just finished “John Adams,” by David McCullough.
I know, I’m behind on my reading. Everyone else watched the movie last year, and read the book years ago. But it’s not unusual for me to miss a trend.
Adams was the first U.S. president to live in the White House. He moved into the not-quite-finished presidential palace - his words - in November of 1800, shortly before finishing his one term as president.
In a letter to his wife the morning after his first night in the White House, Adams wrote: “I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house and all that shall hereafter inhabit. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.”
Adams and his wife also noted, with much sadness and frustration, that many of the workers finishing the White House were black slaves.
The message from the past is poignant. The White House’s first resident offered an eloquent prayer for his successors - while black slaves worked to finish the house.
Tomorrow, a black man will move into the White House.
How is that for cool.
Franklin Roosevelt liked the Adams quote about the White House so much he had it lettered in gold over the fireplace in the White House dining room.
On a related subject, a year ago I read Team of Rivals, the great book by Doris Kearns Goodwin on Abraham Lincoln’s presidency. It chronicled how Lincoln chose his political rivals for his cabinet instead of sticking with safe friends and colleagues who agreed with him.
It’s not coincidence that Barack Obama gave his Sunday night speech standing in front of the Lincoln monument. Newspapers and television stations across the country showed that image - the new black president standing in front of the president who emancipated the slaves.
Obama’s selection of Hilary Clinton as his secretary of state and Robert Gates as secretary of defense, among others, are examples of his own willingness to stretch out of his comfort zone to make the right choices.
Of course, it’s too early to put Mr. Obama in the same category as Lincoln or even Adams. He is taking office during dire times - much like 1860 and 1796 were trying times for our country.
But the proof will be in how he copes with the unreasonable expectations and intractable problems. Whether he manages to remain committed to changing how decisions are made in Washington, realizing the promise of the campaign rhetoric about hope for a new kind of America.