Doris Kearns-Goodwin: Excusing Affairs Only Way to Get 'Best People in Public Life,' Like FDR and Clinton
Appearing on Sunday's NBC Meet the Press, liberal historian Doris Kearns-Goodwin pleaded for the American people to excuse extramarital affairs of public figures like David Petraeus: "What would we have done if FDR had not been our leader because he had an affair with Lucy Mercer? Think of the productive years that Clinton could have had if Monica Lewinsky hadn't derailed them. We've got to figure out a way that we give a private sphere for our public leaders. We're not gonna get the best people in public life if we don't do that." [Listen to the audio]
Kearns-Goodwin lamented how public officials today are held to moral
standards: "I wish we could go back to the time when the private lives
of our public figures were relevant only if they directly affected their
public responsibilities....This man was a great general, a great
leader, and for his career to come to an end because of a private matter
that affects his family and him and evidently doesn't have national
security concerns."
The Washington Post's Bob Woodward completely dismantled her
argument: "Unfortunately, for the CIA Director, he has special status
and he's got to be clean. He can't be blackmailed or threatened or even
deal with the anxiety, 'My God, are they gonna find out about her?' And
he did the right thing."
Here is a transcript of the November 11 exchange:
10:58AM ET
(...)
DAVID GREGORY: Doris, as I have said this weekend, not exactly a topic
that brings husbands and wives closer together. But your thoughts about
this in terms of what should've happened?
DORIS
KEARNS-GOODWIN: I don't know. I think in general, I wish we could go
back to the time when the private lives of our public figures were
relevant only if they directly affected their public responsibilities.
What would we have done if FDR had not been our leader because he had an
affair with Lucy Mercer? Think of the productive years that Clinton
could have had if Monica Lewinsky hadn't derailed them. We've got to
figure out a way that we give a private sphere for our public leaders.
We're not gonna get the best people in public life if we don't do that.
This thing is really sad. This man was a great general, a great leader,
and for his career to come to an end because of a private matter that
affects his family and him and evidently doesn't have national security
concerns. I don't know how you unravel it, but I wish we could.
BOB WOODWARD: Unfortunately, for the CIA Director, he has special
status and he's got to be clean. He can't be blackmailed or threatened
or even deal with the anxiety, "My God, are they gonna find out about
her?" And he did the right thing. He's telling associates now, and I
think this is important, David, that he's not gonna hide under a rock.
He's gonna do other things, as Steve [Schmidt] suggests. His career is
not over. His career at the CIA is over and that's absolutely the right
thing to do. No, I mean, this – I have known him for twenty years and
Petraeus is the sort of person who the smallest little thing bothers
him. And to go through this, and clearly a man of – of conscience made a
grave mistake and just that – that anxiety is the sort of thing that
could set anyone on edge.
(...)
