Admittedly Polk was a workaholic and control freak, but that helped him accomplish more in four years than others did in eight. He also holds the unique distinction of being the only president to attain the goals he had laid out during the runup to his election.
I understand what you say about Polk. But instigating a war on a false pretext in furtherance of his goals is a bit like the way Lyndon Johnson tripped us into the Vietnam War. One term congressman Abraham Lincoln nearly destroyed his political career by calling Polk out for this constitutionally questionable act.
Indeed, even if counterfactual history might suggest a counterfactual. In the event a truly bad president died early in his tenure, one who in office might have done untold damage to the union and the people, might not that premature death be entered into history's positive column? I guess like any other counterfactual, we'll never know. And we have to assume that a life lived to full effect, including for a president, must be seen as a positive good. Who knows?
“You can't do everything yourself.”
Polk didn’t believe this. As a consequence, after instigating and executing the war on Mexico, he barely survived his presidency.
Admittedly Polk was a workaholic and control freak, but that helped him accomplish more in four years than others did in eight. He also holds the unique distinction of being the only president to attain the goals he had laid out during the runup to his election.
I understand what you say about Polk. But instigating a war on a false pretext in furtherance of his goals is a bit like the way Lyndon Johnson tripped us into the Vietnam War. One term congressman Abraham Lincoln nearly destroyed his political career by calling Polk out for this constitutionally questionable act.
Indeed, even if counterfactual history might suggest a counterfactual. In the event a truly bad president died early in his tenure, one who in office might have done untold damage to the union and the people, might not that premature death be entered into history's positive column? I guess like any other counterfactual, we'll never know. And we have to assume that a life lived to full effect, including for a president, must be seen as a positive good. Who knows?
JFK was probably in much better health (except for his back) than Harrison, too.