Truman has become the patron saint of failed presidents because he left office with a 27 percent approval rating, and people were saying, ‘To err is Truman,’ yet look at what he did: the Marshall Plan, the creation of NATO, the Truman Doctrine.
Some presidents, such as Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy, are political sailors – they tack with the wind, reaching difficult policy objectives through bipartisan maneuvering and pulse-taking.
It’s Nixon who created the Environmental Protection Agency. Clean Air and Water Acts. Endangered Species Act. Promoted affirmative action. One could go on and on with Nixon as a New Deal liberal on domestic policy and a hawk, but one with great geo-political skills.
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