Passing the buck...

Mark Kilmer writes:

When the sign on Truman's desk said "The Buck Stops Here," it meant that the President was the one who had to make the decision; he could not pass it off to someone else.

On more than one occasion President Truman referred to the desk sign in public statements. For example, in an address at the National War College on December 19, 1952 Mr. Truman said, "You know, it's easy for the Monday morning quarterback to say what the coach should have done, after the game is over. But when the decision is up before you -- and on my desk I have a motto which says The Buck Stops Here' -- the decision has to be made." In his farewell address to the American people given in January 1953, President Truman referred to this concept very specifically in asserting that, "The President--whoever he is--has to decide. He can't pass the buck to anybody. No one else can do the deciding for him. That's his job.

Kerry and the Democrats have misused the statement to indicate that the President should accept responsibility for everything which happens on his watch. That is not what Truman meant. They do not do this knowingly; rather, I assume they simply have no idea of that about which they are talking.(Thanks to Betsy Newmark)

They don't know what it means...well, that's understandable, the phrase "passing the buck" doesn't seem to be used much any more.

More importantly, blame and destruction is all the Democrats have left. They have no positive vision to offer, no positive energy to apply to the war or other national problems. And the idea that a President should be making tough decisions and bold choices seems alien to them. Their unspoken message is Vote for Kerry—So Things Will be Quiet Again.

Posted by John Weidner at May 9, 2004 8:37 AM