Washington National Cathedral

The Sunday Forum: Critical Issues in the Light of Faith

The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, host

Dr. David Abshire joined Cathedral Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III to discuss “Lessons for the Next President.” Abishire, whose most recent book is titled A Call to Greatness: Challenging our Next President, currently leads the Center for the Study of the Presidency.

Abshire commends Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt as valuable models for Barack Obama as he prepares to lead the United States. Both politicians were pragmatists who gradually adapted their strategies to address crises. At the outset of the Civil War, Lincoln consolidated support by emphasizing the need to preserve the Union; only later was he able to use the issue of slavery to garner more support.

Roosevelt (who, Abshire allows, was “not a genius”) moved from strongly partisan practices to a more bipartisan strategy, bringing aboard veterans of the Hoover years. “Roosevelt had these visions, but he had to have the managers to carry them out,” Abshire says. By contrast, “Lincoln…combined those two abilities. That’s his genius.”

The conversation touches on civility, both in national politics and in the Episcopal Church. Civility “doesn’t mean that everybody in the church has got to agree on every issue,” Abshire points out. He recommends instead a commitment to diversity and a willingness to listen to all viewpoints. Abshire believes that Anglicans among the Founding Fathers, having been raised in a tradition of finding the middle way, helped to bring tolerance to the principles of the young United States.

Abshire says of this moment in history, “In times of trouble, you’ve got to get an amalgamation, because people are willing to put country first and make the sacrifice if they’re asked to do it.” He emphasizes the need for “trust, and trust means truthfulness. It also means accountability or capability… You’re entrusted with the nation’s welfare, and you’ve got to perform well.”

“Sometimes it’s the greatness of the challenge that produces the greatness of the leaders,” Abshire summarizes.

David Abshire is president of the Center for the Study of the Presidency, a non-partisan organization that examines the successes and failures of past presidencies and relates these findings to current challenges. He is vice-chairman of the board and co-founder of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, also in Washington, and the author of seven books, including the recently published A Call to Greatness: Challenging Our Next President.

About David Abshire

David Abshire is president of the Center for the Study of the Presidency, a non-partisan organization that examines the successes and failures of past presidencies and relates these findings to current challenges. He is vice-chairman of the board and co-founder of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, also in Washington, and the author of seven books, including the recently published A Call to Greatness: Challenging Our Next President.