George Washington Quotes
Differences in political opinions are as unavoidable … but it is exceedingly to be regretted that subjects cannot be discussed with temper in hand, or decisions submitted to … without improperly implicating the motives which led to them; and this regret borders on chagrin, when we find that men of ability, zealous patriots, having the same general objects in view, the same upright intentions to prosecute them, will not utilize their charity in deciding on the opinions and actions of each other.
In addition to the Attorney General, Washington’s cabinet consisted only of Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State, and Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury. Both were brilliant, passionate men dedicated to the new nation. However, they held opposite points of view on many major fundamental issues of political approach to the new nation. Washington greatly valued their advice and they each were magnificent administrators of their departments. However, they each distrusted each other intensely and believed that the other was advocating policies and practices that would destroy the new nation. Their squabbling was often public and Washington could never understand why they could not be civil about their disagreements. Ironically, Hamilton turned out to have been right about the assumption of state debt and the importance of business, finance and manufacturing. Jefferson whose vision had all Americans being farmers was wrong on this but was right on the limits of the executive and the rights of the individual vis a vis the government. Jefferson’s views turned out to be the ones most Americans wanted and his Democratic Republican party not only beat the Federalists but ended the Federalist Party. Hamilton died in a duel, Modern America is an amalgam of both of their views with modernity tending more and more towards Hamilton.
George Washington, 1732-1799, 1st President of the United States (VA), Letter to his Attorney General
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Most modern politicians are just the opposite. The political scene is rife with politicians impugning motives.
While most talk show radio hosts in the political arena were highly partisan and not very polite about opinions contary to theirs and their major audience, Rehm was a real standout who not only was civil to all people regardless of view point but over her decades of broadcasting, always reminded her audience to also be so with suggestions like this classic.
He delivered this speech towards the end of the 1st year of President Donals Trump's Administration. Althought he never mentioned Trump by name, this speech was a rare major criticism of a sitting president by a former president. This was also one of the few speeches Bush gave after leaving office. On the same day, former President Barak Obama also gave a major speech and also castigated President Trump although neither of the ex-presidents knew that the other was about to deliver their criticism of Trump. It was one of the very unusal occurances in American history.
George Washington was the first President of the United States (1789-97), the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He presided over the convention that drafted the current United States Constitution and during his lifetime was called the "father of his country".
