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Wilson and Bryan

After listening, tonight, to the radio announcer talk about the hundreds of thousands of deaths caused by wars in Iraq, those directly and indirectly caused by U.S. invasions since 1991, it is disconcerting how psychically removed, by and large, our nation has been from the wars as well as from the poor policy choices made in our name, as though we cannot be bothered to do something about it, like at least vote out imperialist politicians.

All of which makes William Jennings Bryan's standoff with President Woodrow Wilson in 1915 all the more remarkable. Bryan, a former three-time Democratic Party presidential standard bearer, became Wilson's Secretary of State. To make a long story short (since we don't have time for a long essay at this time), Wilson wanted to take a confrontational stance and defy the Kaiser's declaration that the British Isles were a war zone, whereas Bryan wanted to maintain strict neutrality in the matter of the European war. Wilson, as president, won that intra-governmental standoff. Bryan resigned on principle, giving up one of the most important jobs in the government.

Bryan was a person who considered principles more important than holding a prestigious job at all costs. His act of resigning was a notice to the administration that he was not going along with the program if the program was something that he greatly disagreed with. If only the America of 2009, Anno Domini, would be nearly as forthright and sacrificial in standing up for our principles.

[First posted on "Commoner" on or around 6/29/09; revised on 6/30/09.]

Copyright 2009, Party of Commons TM

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