Truman

So last night I finished reading Truman, a 992-page book by David McCullough about the 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman. For someone who loves history, as I do, it was a completely satisfying experience. I recommend the book without reservation.

It is amazing how little some things seem to change in the world. I could draw a lot of parallels with the political climate in our country today.

For most of the nearly eight years he served as President, Truman was greatly disliked by many people, at times (if one can believe public opinion polls) by most people, yet he doggedly pursued a steady course forward based on what he thought was the right thing to do. He was a man of uncommon integrity and had some pretty tough choices to make as the United States ended World War II and embarked on its post-war leadership of the free world. He defined in large measure how our country would participate in the Cold War over the next four decades.

His committing the nation to a war in Korea was particularly unpopular at the time, but in hindsight undoubtedly contained the spread of communism in that part of the world and kept us out of a third world war.

A fascinating thing about history is that at the time it is being made the participants do not know how things are going to turn out in the end. What can appear so obvious to us, from our armchairs on Monday morning, was not at all obvious at the time. Sort of like the outcome of a hotly contested basketball game. It ain't over until it's over.