The Compulsion to Excel

By Hugh Sidey

The men who get to the White House seem to have a deep compulsion to do everything a little more, better, grander than any of the others who have gone before them. Perhaps it is a natural urge, since getting to be President of the United States is about a 6 billion-to-1 shot at any given moment in the human scene. Having established that triumph, they look for other records to break.

Excelling has in most cases been a way of life from the cradle. Lyndon Johnson liked to tell the story about his grandfather riding around the Texas hill country on the day of L.B.J.'s birth, proclaiming that a U.S. Senator had been born.

Long before Johnson went on to fulfill that prophecy, and do a bit better, he accumulated a number of scholastic and community achievements. So did Kennedy (Pulitzer Prize author) and Nixon (law school scholarship) and Ford (Eagle Scout). So did Jimmy Carter, who led his high school, was admitted to Admiral Rickover's nuclear fraternity, succeeded in business and local politics.

Doing things first and best is no less appealing once the White House has been reached. There is no book of presidential records (first hole in one by a Republican ex-President--Eisenhower, Palm Springs, 1968), but maybe some bright fellow will compile one some day (first President to raft down the Salmon River--Carter, 1978). Besides Nixon's true conviction that an opening to China made good sense, there is evidence that his vision of appearing live on the Today show as the first President to toast China in the Great Hall of the People spurred him to new heights of energy to set up the deal. Writer Dick Goodwin once said of Johnson that when he talked he talked more than anybody, when he ate he ate more, when he legislated he legislated more, when he loved he loved more: "He is just more."

The reason for this reminiscence is that Jimmy Carter is possessed of the same drive, and as he pounded over the hills of Catoctin Mountain in pursuit of a 46-min. time for the 6.2-mile course, he surely had in the back of his mind the historical footnote that would rank him as the first President to run that far some place other than in a primary election.

The trouble is that record breaking seems to be having the opposite effect for Carter. Come to think about it, that presidential compulsion may have helped to do in Johnson (more education bills, more health programs, more guns and more butter), and Nixon (best organized, first to tape all office conversations, most beyond the law).

From the start of his term, Carter has seemed driven to be the most liked. Instead, he now stands at 19% approval, which has broken all records in public opinion sampling--down. Carter has got up earlier than anybody and read more and worked harder to absorb more facts than any of his predecessors. Now, a lot of his advisers have been telling him that it is bad to get so burdened with the details of the world's problems.

Carter's promises to balance the budget (world record: most daring fiscal pronouncement) and not to import an additional barrel of oil (U.S. record: optimism) have put him in embarrassing binds. So did his pledge to hold all those news conferences, which were designed to break some kind of record and shame the reclusive Nixon.

Other highlights: Religion--Carter carried his evangelical faith over a wider area than any other President, including a brief Christian sermon preached to Korea's President Park Chung Hee, who may be Buddhist, if anything. Tolerance--Carter exhibited the most sustained tolerance of subordinates since U.S. Grant, forgiving the questionable behavior of Bert, Billy and Ham. Toughness--Carter reversed his nice-guy image and asked for mass Cabinet resignation, later forced four members out permanently in the most stunning Administration change in recent years.

There is a lesson here somewhere. The last three Presidents all have held Harry Truman up as a man of admirable achievements. But Harry walked, never ran. He paddled, never swam. He drank bourbon, never diet cola. He legislated with restraint, he warred with grave doubts, he tolerated only so long.

He left the record setting of his time to Ted Williams.

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