Originally published May 30, 1997, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1228
Essayists and political analysts with far more political savvy than I (which, frankly, isn’t all that much of a trick) have been commenting that President Bill Clinton has his eye on the history books. That his current policies and actions are being taken, not only with a consideration towards how they will affect his constituency (namely everyone) but also how he will be perceived by future voters and generations.
It’s evocative, to a certain degree, of some of former-president Nixon’s actions, which were allegedly taken–not out self-preservation or an eagerness to cover up the potentially criminal activities of himself or others–but rather out of obligation to future generations of presidents (to say nothing of future burglars and cover-up artists) and how he himself would be portrayed by historians.
And it’s been interesting to see how both historians and politicians have viewed, or even manipulated, the track records of past presidents. During recent presidential campaigns, both GOP and Democrats endeavored to portray themselves as heir apparents to Harry Truman, the humble haberdasher who stepped into the massive shoes of FDR and authorized the ushering in of the atomic age. There are those who would focus on the monumental achievement of the former, while others who would condemn him for all time for the latter.
When Richard Nixon passed away, there seemed to be a battle between varied schools of thought as those who remembered Nixon the (I am not a) crook went toe to toe with those who wished only to focus on his achievements other than being the first sitting president to resign. Should Nixon have been canonized? Or should he have been shunned?
Well, interestingly, the world of Captain America has weighed in on the topic, and the results are–to say the least–surprising.
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