Snippets of Wisdom from Legendary Journalist Bob Woodward

Bob Woodward

Bob Woodward - American renown journalist and author - visited the U of I campus on Tuesday, January 26 as part of a new lecture series about Abraham Lincoln. In what was an educational and entertaining talk, Woodward explained how Lincoln relates to our times and compared some of his traits as well as presidential themes with those of recent presidents.

In my own words, here are some of the insights that Woodward shared and resonated with me:

• The job of the President is to figure out the next stage of good for the majority of the people of the country and then develop and implement a plan to achieve it
• Presidents should be tough in their articulation of what the USA is ready to do in order to preserve its interests
• President Obama does not like war and he believes that it is a manifestation of human failing

Two concepts that will remain with me are "executive supremacy" which I understood as something that President Lincoln believed in as well as "strategic patience" which is something that I believe the Obama White House practices.

Finally - again in my own words - Woodward shared a joke that his father told him about lawyers: you should always listen to lawyers because they have something important to say... unless you listen carefully.