History and the Presidency

From CBS:

A sound technician knocked over a glass of water on the president’s desk in the oval office while entering for Obama’s photo op with Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Obama heard something untoward as the press entered the room.

“Uh oh,” he said. “What’d you all get there,” he inquired.

“A water glass,” came the reply from several in the press.

“Alright,” he said with unmistakable dismay in his voice, adding sarcastically, “It’s the Resolution Desk. It’s only like a hundred years old.”

Actually it’s the Resolute Desk, made from the timbers of the HMS Resolute, a gift to President Rutherford B. Hayes from Queen Victoria in 1880.

Usually I don’t like to post silly stories like these.  If I was President the press would have a hard time keeping up with all of my gaffes on a wide variety of subjects. History just happens to be my area of interest. The reason I post this though is that it reminded me of a thought I had while watching NBC’s wonderful coverage from inside the Whitehouse a couple of weeks ago. More than once Brian Williams asked President Obama about the gravity of living in an ‘American museum’. It was pretty clear from his responses that this is not something the President spends a lot of time thinking about. Again putting myself in his shoes I know Iwould be the exact opposite. Every time I was needed for an important meeting I would probably be found wandering through another room and staring at paintings or boring staffers with historical facts about this piece or that from the Whitehouse collection. So in other words, I would be far too mesmorized to get much accomplished.

I’m not criticizing the President for not appreciating the history of his new home or learning the important stories so early in his term. Surely he is not alone among Presidents in that respect. From what I remember of his autobiography President Clinton loved the history of the building from the start and knew its story well. I think George W. Bush learned to appreciate it, as I hope President Obama will. 

 The Whitehouse is indeed a museum. It has many things to teach its inhabitants. Perhaps what concerns me is that what is most important is not the story of the building itself  but the men who called it home. The decisions they made within its walls all had consequences and it is that lesson which each new President must learn. That is the importance of history and why I find it such a compelling subject. I can only pray that President Obama is a willing student.