Great Men, Good Men

Posted on by Fritz Pettyjohn

Most great men are not good men, at least when it comes to politicians. Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Napoleon were all great men, but none of them were good.

Washington and some other Founding Fathers were both good and great. Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin and James Madison come to mind. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Alexander Hamilton were great men, but not good ones. Andrew Jackson was a great man, but not a good one. The same for Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The best man in American history, the great man who saved the Union, was of course, Abraham Lincoln.

Donald Trump is on track to be a great man. I take no particular pleasure in saying that, because I don’t like Trump. I never have, and I never will. As men, we are almost complete opposites. He’s not my kind of guy, and I’m sure I’m not his kind of guy either. I don’t think he’s a good man.

But facts are facts, and even before he’s sworn in for his second term, I think he’s on the cusp of greatness. Taming Iran, pacifying the Ukraine, and achieving a world balance of power between the United States, Russia and China are all within his grasp. This isn’t happenstance. On the world stage, Trump knows what he’s doing.

Imagine a world in which all the great powers are at permanent peace with one another. A world in which disputes among the great powers are resolved without resort to the use of force. A world in which the great powers no longer threaten each other with nuclear weapons. This was Reagan’s dream, but it was unfulfilled.

Today it’s not just a dream. It could be a reality before Trump leaves office.

How, then, could you deny that Trump would properly be considered a great man?

Is Vance the Presumptive Republican Nominee in 2028?

Posted on by Fritz Pettyjohn

Not necessarily. The process doesn’t even start until three years from now.

One thing seems certain: There is going to be a great deal of change in this country and around the world in the next year, much less three years. Most of it will be good, I think. Trump seems to know what he’s doing this time, and his most dangerous opponents are on their heels, whether it’s Russia, Iran, or the media-academic axis. No Russia hoax to distract him. and a band of talented loyalists around to do his bidding. Things look good.

So it’s easy to assume Trump will anoint Vance as his designated successor, and hand him the nomination. But that’s an assumption, and as a wise old pol told me, “Assumption begins with ass.”

Vance’s own political skills, based on the record, aren’t particularly impressive. He won in Ohio in 2022 in a relatively close election, with 53% of the vote. The rest of the 2022 Republican ticket did a lot better.

I like Vance, and admire him, and think he’ll do a fine job. But it’s way too soon to think he’s got the nomination in the bag. Let’s see him earn it.

Talk about change! Syria has been a country for over 100 years, and now it’s disappearing before our eyes. Israel has now completely freed itself of the hostile powers surrounding it: Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria.

Maybe there will be peace in the Holy Land this Christmas. Now that’s change I can live with. Now if we can get peace in Ukraine, we can really celebrate. The natural order of the world, with Russia and China and the United States as the three hegemons, is forming. And there is no reason in the world that these three peoples would want to fight each other.

Merry Christmas indeed!