Thursday, September 11, 2008

Presidential Knowledge

In his autobiography, John Kenneth Galbraith tells this story about Lyndon Johnson. I'm repeating from memory, so please excuse any inaccuracies in the retelling.

It's 1967. The Greek military has overthrown the elected left-wing government, headed by George Papandreou.

The military arrested Papandreou and was preparing to execute him. Papandreou's many friends and supporters in the United States organized to try to save his life. Immense pressure was brought to bear on the White House. Finally, Galbraith placed the call to find out how things stood. Joseph Califano, then a White House aide, took the call.

"Don't worry Ken. It's taken care of."

"Joe please. I have to know exactly what the president said."

"Exactly?"

"Exactly."

Long pause.

"Okaaaay ... The president said: 'Tell those Greek bastards not to shoot that son of a bitch, what's his name.'"

**

A president does not need to know everything. In fact, it's certainly impossible for him (or her) to know everything that he might possibly need to know. That's what the White House staff - and beyond them the whole vast apparatus of the US government - is for. Collectively, the US government knows a lot. And all of that knowledge is at the service and disposal of the president. All the president has to do is - is ask.

But that's not as easy as it sounds.

Somebody who knew President Bush well once remarked to me. "You'll notice he never asks questions."

"Why not?" I said.

"Because he doesn't know what it's okay for him not to know."

**

Again and again through the ABC interview with Sarah Palin, Gibson asked questions to which an evasive answer would have been perfectly appropriate.

What's your view on South Ossetia?

Charlie, I am number two on this ticket. It's not appropriate for me to advance personal views in a public interview like this. I'm here to help John McCain with the issues he's asked me to work on - like energy and government reform. I'm glad to answer any question you may have there.

Or

What should we do about a nuclear Iran?

Charlie, that's an incredibly difficult question. That's why I am so grateful for the leadership of John McCain. I think we'll all feel safer with President McCain deciding on issues like these than we would with an untested and unready candidate like Senator Obama.

But Palin never punted. She tried to bluff her way through, pretending to know what she obviously did not know. It's an understandable impulse, and in the context of a single interview, not so very terrible. But is it an impulse that she'd lay aside once in office? Or is it a deeper habit? A lot may turn on the answer to that question.

09/11 10:29 PM