“Presidents who restrict civil liberties, even in wartime, are usually judged harshly for it.” PresidentLibertyJudgedCivil LibertiesWartime Author:David Greenberg
“It's actually quite common for presidents to believe that future generations will render a verdict on their presidencies that is more lasting or definitive than the judgments of their contemporaries. The reason is that although history is certainly "an argument without end" - we're still debating many age-old questions - time does help settle others.” BelieveDoeStillsEndsReasonHelpingAgePresidentCommonGenerationsJudgmentArgumentSettlingLastingPresidencyFuture GenerationVerdict Author:David Greenberg
“I'm hard pressed to give an example on the spot of a president who explicitly spoke of the vindication of history, but I'm confident that there are many such examples.” GivingHardPresidentExampleSpotsSpokesVindication Author:David Greenberg
“One thing that does seem to me to be fairly consistent is that presidents who restrict civil liberties, even in wartime, are usually judged harshly for it. So most people agree that one of the worst stains on the reputation of FDR, who is widely considered a great president, is the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Likewise, Lincoln is judged harshly for the suspension of habeas corpus.” PeopleWorldDoeWarSeemsPresidentLibertyOne ThingWorstAgreeReputationWar Of The WorldsConsistentJudgedWorld War IiWorld War IStainsCivil LibertiesSuspensionWartimeGreat PresidentsCorpusInternmentHabeas Corpus Author:David Greenberg
“We have to judge presidents not only by the long-term consequences of their actions but also by how they make citizens in their own day feel. One reason that Nixon never succeeded in his comeback campaign is that he had such a negative impact on public trust at the time of his presidency.” FeelsLongReasonActionPresidentTermJudgingCitizensConsequenceNegativeImpactCampaignsLong TermPresidencyComebackPublic Trust Author:David Greenberg