The Thoughts Provoked by Frost/Nixon

My reaction to the Swedes was not the only thing I took away from this film experience. As I mentioned in my previous post, I did end up feeling more empathy for Nixon than I had previously felt. I was able to see how flawed Nixon was in his own interpretation of reality. He was a deeply troubled man, never comfortable in his own skin, always wanting something that was desperately out his reach, willing to go to any length to grab it, which ultimately caused the failure of his greatest prize, the American presidency. That he believed he was always acting with America's best interest in mind is interesting. The fact that he was so skewed in the way in which he should achieve that goal is equally as fascinating. As an outsider looking in, one has to ask, how can someone believe that executing a completely illegal move would be in the country's best interest?
My actual memory of the events of Watergate, Nixon's resignation and subsequent pardon are fuzzy as I was in junior high when these things unfolded. I remember being at summer camp when Nixon resigned. They announced it at dinner and I didn't really understand what a big deal it was. My parents were Nixon supporters so I didn't have the vilified view of him that I'm sure most Democrats at the time did. When Ford pardoned Nixon I probably thought it was a nice thing to do. Now, as I reflect upon my own political ideology, I realize that I likely would've been furious about what was happening. I had to wonder how Nixon could allow his "men" to go to jail while he himself accepted the pardon. I know that some say it would've devastated our country to put the President on trial. I disagree. I think the inability to tell the truth is what devastates our country. Clinton's abuse of power and his subsequent inability to tell the truth turned his little sexual tryst into a national crisis. Bush's deception created great mistrust in the public eye and lost him all credibility in the end. I hope and pray that Obama will at least continue to speak with the candor that has so far marked his public speech. His ability to admit that appointing Daschle for a cabinet level post was a mistake was rather refreshing. I don't want Obama to make mistakes, but at least for one brief moment he was willing to face the music.
Of course, throughout the film my thoughts did wander to the George W. Bush administration. I do feel that this administration willfully deceived the public in order to execute certain actions. They misled the public on the weapons of mass destruction, they wrongly tied 9/11 to Iraq, and they consistently used torture and other unconstitutional action on prisoners. I believe that in his heart, Bush felt that he was acting in the interest of America. And yet, by the time his presidency ended, America was reeling from financial crisis, our standing around the world was shot, and he had the lowest approval rating of any sitting President. At least in the last months of his Presidency he showed a modicum of humility by admitting to some mistakes and by helping Obama transition into the White House with grace. Even so, I feel like Bush's administration left a lot of shadiness in its wake. And sadly, Bush made it clear that while he was President, if you questioned his actions, you were unpatriotic. He governed with fear as tool to keep the people trusting in his leadership. I believe the Bush presidency ultimately failed. Others disagree and say it's too soon to tell. Many supporters comment that at least he kept America safe. I just don't see it that way. I felt more unsafe while Bush was president. His arrogance and rogue spirit cultivated a disdain for America around the world that did not serve us well. That so much of the world was dancing in the streets when Obama got elected reveals what a relief much of the world felt when Bush was finally finished setting the course for American politics. It's no secret that I did not enjoy Bush's presidency. It will be interesting to see what the legacy turns out to be.
The parallels between the Nixon administration and the Bush administration are curious. I do feel that Bush was every bit as dishonest as Nixon was even if he never executed a criminal offense. And I do feel that Bush, like Nixon, had love for country in the forefront of his mind, however misguided the notion may have been.
So what do we do when our leaders think they are acting in our best interest when many of us felt that in the case of Bush, his actions were pure disaster? It proves to me that we need more than "yes men" around us. The notion of surrounding ourselves with folks who can fully and freely reveal our blindspots is absolutely key. It's very hard to do because no one likes to be told that they are short-sighted or worse, wrong. And yet perhaps so much trauma and peril could be avoided if we could learn to share our perspectives with one another, not so much with a mind to be right, but to discern the best course for the bigger picture.

While Sitting in A Movie Theater with Swedes...

We went to see the fine film Frost/Nixon on Monday evening with a good friend of ours who happens to be British. It was fun to see the film with someone who grew up in the UK. She is decidedly younger than we are so her memory of said events was not so clear. But we like her anyway!
I had a bizarre and unexpected reaction to the Swedes who were sitting in the audience. Their reaction to certain events in the film disturbed me greatly. They laughed in places where it felt like mockery. The disdain that seemed to exude from their collective responses created a visceral reaction in my gut. I wanted to stand up in the theater and scream, "You just don't fully understand how complicated the American political landscape can be. You live in a country that has, well, zero impact on the global scene so why don't you all get down off your self-righteous high horses?" I think it's good that I resisted that urge. But it was weird. I mean, me, a patriot of the highest order? Feeling like I wanted to defend Nixon to the folks who live in the nation that I now call home?
Well, it wasn't really wanting to defend Nixon as much as it was a desire to ask them to have a little more understanding of the perils of power. One of my complaints about the Swedes is that they can be rather self-righteous, especially when it comes to their critique of others, especially Americans. And I think they lack the depth of understanding it takes to really do an honest and fair critique. Sweden has largely been a homogeneous society, where variance of points of view are quite slight. They have a natural tendency to head for consensus rather than valuing a hotly debated difference of opinion. Sweden is a country of 9 million people, the equivalent of the Chicago metro area. Problems are fairly easily solved here due to the smallness of the population. And let's face it, when was the last time you saw the Swedish Prime Minister involved in a International crisis? (Bonus points to someone who can post the Prime Minister's name without googling it!) Sweden is not the go to country when it comes to global issues. This isn't a put down of Sweden. It's a reality check. I found their disdain for Nixon's weaknesses almost hurtful and as I've reflected upon it, I can only deduce that my gut reaction, which surprised no one more than it surprised me, is rooted in a desire for a little empathy from the Swedes as to how complex American politics and society are. I guess their reactions felt to me as if they themselves would never find their leaders in such an ethical dilemma. And it is there that they are wrong. All governments have blind spots. The only real issue is how deeply do they affect their nations and how widely known are they?
Nixon was a flawed leader with numerous blind spots. You'd be a fool to think otherwise. The film, however, moved me to a deeper level of empathy rather than critique. That his presidency, resignation, and eventual pardon represent a troubled and sad time in American history is indisputable, but coming to a greater understanding of why Nixon did the things he did was a valuable experience for me. I obviously think he was wrong, but I didn't sit in that theater believing that myself or any other person with that kind of power would be exempt from the temptations of the office. I guess I just felt like the Swedish people who were sitting around me watched the film while looking down their noses. I didn't like it and I'm trying to more fully understand why I had the reaction that I did. But it also felt good to feel a bit patriotic and have a small desire to defend my America, flaws and all.