erik lundegaard

Thursday January 16, 2014

Quote of the Day

“Character is destiny, and politicians usually get the scandals they deserve, with a sense of inevitability about them. Warren G. Harding surrounded himself with corrupt pols and businessmen, then checked out, leading to the most sensational case of bribery in American history. Ronald Reagan combined zealotry and fantasy, and Oliver North acted them out. Bill Clinton was libidinous and truth-parsing but also cautious, while George W. Bush was an incurious crusader who believed himself chosen by God and drove almost the entire national-security establishment into lawlessness without thinking twice. Christie, more than any of these, is reminiscent of the President whose petty hatefulness destroyed him—which is why, as NBC’s newscaster said when signing off on an early report on that long-ago burglary, I don’t think we’ve heard the last of this.”

— George Packer, “The Trouble with Christie” in The New Yorker, expertly parsing the political scandals of the last 100 years.

Posted at 03:36 PM on Thursday January 16, 2014 in category Quote of the Day  
« And the 2013 Oscar Nominees Are ...   |   Home   |   My Top 10 Movies of 2013 »
 RSS
ARCHIVES
LINKS