7 Reasons We Need George Washington Back

by C.N. Costa, 16 December 2009

1.     He didn’t want to be President.

The best people to wield power are those who don’t seek it.  It seems strange that in an era where politicians scheme and plot for years to seize the power of the POTUS position, that our first President wouldn’t want it.  The job of President of the United States was designed with then General Washington in mind, and he tried to turn it down.  He is the only President in US history to be elected with 100% of the Electoral College votes.  It was only his dedication to his country that convinced him to once again heed his nations call.  He reluctantly served a second term; and outright refused a third.  His inaugural addresses, though short, show his reticence to the position he found himself in.

Try to imagine if an elected official today attempted to turn down their party’s nomination for president.  They would be the laughing stock of DC, not a great leader.  The difference is today’s politicians see elected positions as power to be collected and used instead of a service to the people who elected them.  The longer they are in office the more power they can grab.   President Washington saw his position as another call to service for his country, with executive power to be used only when appropriate. 

2.    He declined being paid for being president.

He did eventually take pay for his term in office.  Washington was independently wealthy and didn’t need the money.  However he didn’t want to make the highest office in the land available only to men of means.  The members of the Constitutional Convention believed that anyone, regardless of station in life, should have the opportunity to become the President.  By not taking the money Washington would have been setting future generations up for failure by creating an aristocracy-light ruling class instead of following the beliefs set down in the Declaration of Independence.

Contrary to their speeches politicians are looking as far as the next election cycle not in to the next 500 years when passing laws.  They know that as long as they are funneling favors and monies to their constituents, they will have job security.  Really look at the Healthcare and Climate bills being debated; and tell me how far into the future those Congressmen are really looking.

3.    Set a standard for U.S. Military Operations that is still followed today.

We own the night.  By we, I mean the US military, all four branches.  We perform more night operations in a month then some countries do in a year.  Thanks more to our training than our technology (Night Vision Goggles do help though) we can perform any mission, anywhere in the world while everyone else is sleeping.  We really do more by 9a.m. then most people do all day.

This all started with our first Commander in Chief.  During The Revolutionary War General Washington led more nighttime maneuvers than all of the British commanders combined.  The most famous being the Christmas capture of Trenton.  No other General has come close to having such a long lasting effect on how America wins our wars.

4.    As President, Personally led the Army.

Try to picture, if you will, the current President of the United States or any President since Eisenhower, trying to take the field of battle with the US Army.  It would be a disaster both on the battlefield and in the press.  Now imagine if it wasn’t some other country we were fighting but our own people.  None of the presidents in the last 50 years would have had the guts to even get near that career-ending powder keg. 

During the Whiskey Rebellion President George Washington called up the militia and marched them to the site of the rebellion.  Presumably the protesters knew of the Army’s march to them and quietly dispersed before their arrival.  President Washington stuck to his convictions by actively enforcing the rule of law, even when it was unpopular and impractical.  Today’s elected officials should have paid more attention in history class.

5.    He was not a partisan.

The Two Party System, regardless of country, isn’t about left or right.  To be honest it is not even about right or wrong.  The Two Party System is about passing laws that give your party more power and control over the people.  Politicians use the system to hide the erosion of the people’s rights and freedoms by demonizing the opposition through propaganda and fear-mongering.   The answer is not a third or even fourth party.  The answer is to eliminate all parties.  After that, elected officials will no longer have to worry if a bill was created by “The Left” or “The Right”, just if it is right for the people.

President Washington hated the idea of political parties.    He feared that if they gained popularity and power they would destroy the Republic.  He was the only true Independent President we have ever had.  Over 200 years later his fears have been proven valid.  

6.    He was respected… Even by his enemies.

Consider for a moment that we haven’t had a president you could look in the eye since Regan.  Post Cold-War politicians, with very few exceptions, have trouble passing the most basic test of leadership: can they be respected? 

It is hard for sane people to imagine a statue of Josef Stalin being erected in Washington D.C.  Not just because he was a commie but more importantly, because he was an enemy.     Western civilizations don’t celebrate, or commemorate their enemies. 

This is not the case for our first President.  Sure we put his face on everything, even a mountain, but the British put a statue of him in London.  Even the British newspapers of the time refused to demonize our quiet Virginian.  Instead the news papers praised him personally and professionally demonstrating tremendous respect, unlike their treatment of the Continental Congress.  There is a saying: You can learn more about the character of a man by what his enemies say about him than his friends.

7.    Was promoted to General of the Armies… After his death.

His leadership is so influential that two hundred years after his appointment to lead the Continental Army, Congress promoted him, again, to the rank of General of the Armies of the United States.  They went further by adding that his rank is senior to all others past and present.  In short, He is the highest ranking US general, ever.  This is not surprising considering his quote about the battle of Fort Necessity:  "I heard the bullets whistle, and, believe me there is something charming in the sound."