In a gathering of presidents, a model for Washington
Few nations of the world would be able to witness an event like the one that occurred in Dallas on Thursday. Five current and past presidents of the United States gathered like old friends to praise one of their own.
President Obama听补苍诲听Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and George H.W. Bush聽were on hand to dedicate the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on the campus of Southern Methodist University.
No politics of personal destruction. No mudslinging. All civility.
The meeting was a rare event of Oval Office veterans. The last such gathering of five presidents was for the dedication of the Reagan Presidential Library in 1991. This one was notable by their common desire to focus on what one president did right and his favorable qualities.
鈥淭o know the man is to like the man,鈥� Mr. Obama spoke of Mr. Bush. 鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 put on any pretenses. He takes his job seriously, but he doesn鈥檛 take himself too seriously. He is a good man.鈥�
Mr. Carter, a strong critic of Bush, commended him for his successes in Sudan and in fighting AIDS. 鈥淚鈥檓 filled with admiration for you and deep gratitude for you about the great contributions you鈥檝e made to the most needy people on earth.鈥�
But more than the likability or the triumphs of Bush II, this historic conclave of three Democratic and two Republican presidents served as a reminder of how a democracy both defines political differences and can also heal them 鈥� if enough politicians exhibit charity, respect, and perhaps even friendship toward those with opposing views.
A 2011 Pew poll found that more Americans admire politicians who 诲辞苍鈥檛 compromise than admiring those who do. Even worse, the splintering of media sources has created echo chambers for people to get news and views that fit their preconceptions.
Meanwhile, hardened partisanship and political intolerance have risen in Washington. Each party has rigged the democratic process to create safe seats. Many incumbents wage 鈥減ermanent campaigns鈥� fueled by special-interest money.
The best way to break this cold gridlock is to have more informal occasions in which elected leaders come in close contact and establish relationships of personal trust. Only then can each side鈥檚 principled arguments find the soft ground of real listening and bring about serious consideration of alternative perspectives.
This isn鈥檛 nostalgia for any good ol鈥� days in politics. As Marcus Daniel wrote in his 2009 book, 鈥淪candal and Civility,鈥� political life in the US after the American Revolution 鈥渨as tempestuous, fiercely partisan, and highly personal.鈥�
And the great constitutionalist, James Madison, even warned in 1787: 鈥淎 zeal for different opinions concerning religion, concerning government, and many other points ... have, in turn, divided mankind into parties, inflamed them with mutual animosity, and rendered them much more disposed to vex and oppress each other than to cooperate for their common good.鈥�
All the more, in today鈥檚 hurried, wired, and weary world, should politicians who work for the common good see the common good in each other.
Many recent presidents, either as candidates or once in office, have called for civility and open hearts. Bush the younger promised to be a 鈥渦niter, not a divider.鈥� Obama suggested that political discourse be done with 鈥渇riendship, civility, hospitality, and especially love.鈥� In recent weeks, he has changed his own behavior to have meals with leading Republicans.
And now, for a brief time in Dallas, Americans saw how once-fierce rivals revealed a bond over their common experiences in the White House. At least two of them, Clinton and the elder Bush, have become quite close.
The country鈥檚 future depends on how well its political leaders work on the quality of their relationships.
