William Jennings Bryan - Man of Extraordinary Integrity

Mr. Bryan, during his tenure as Secretary of State, gave good advice after good advice after good advice to President Wilson, advice that could have easily kept us out of World War 1, AND WILSON WOULDN'T LISTEN (their biggest disagreement having to do with the fact that Wilson stubbornly insisted that even commercial vessels that were armed to the teeth had a right to operate in a war zone). Here is just a tiny sampling of the man's correspondence; a) "whether an American citizen can, by putting his business above his regard for his country, assume for his advantage unnecessary risks and thus involve his country in international complications. Are the rights and obligations of citizenship so one-sided that the government which represents all the people must bring the whole population into difficulty because a citizen, instead of regarding his country's interests, thinks only of himself?"............b) "What claim can this Government rightfully make for unintended loss which ordinary diligence would have avoided?"............c) Why be shocked at the drowning of a few people if there is to be no objection to starving a nation (by Britain's naval blockade)?"............d) "If we admit the right of the submarine to attack merchantmen but condemn their particular act or class of acts as inhuman we will be embarrassed by the fact we have not protested against Great Britain's defense of the right to prevent foods reaching non-combatant enemies. Our people will, I believe, be slow to admit the right of a citizen to involve his country in war when exercising ordinary care he would have avoided danger."............e) "It is not likely that either side will win so complete a victory as to be able to dictate terms, and if either side does win such a victory it will probably mean preparation for another war. It would seem better to look for a more rational basis for peace." (how frigging prescient was that one, huh?)........................................................................................Look, I'm not saying here that Mr. Bryan was perfect. He wasn't (the fact that he at least tacitly supported Wilson's idiotic measures in Mexico; the occupation of Veracruz, Punitive Expedition, that moronic operation at Carrizal, etc.). But the fact that he so thoroughly understood the dangers (and not just in the short term, either) of U.S. involvement in what was essentially a war between European imperial powers AND (unlike fellows like Colin Powell and Scott McClellan who opposed the Iraq War and who went along with it anyway) the fact that the dude resigned from office rather than compromising his principles makes me exceedingly admire him........................................................................................P.S. And, yes, countdown to somebody bringing up the Scopes trial.