With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Guardian Editorial Cites Arthur Schlesinger Jr.

Unsigned, The Guardian (London), 19 Oct. 2004

"(Some) voters . . . may have been surprised by the person they saw in the three televised (presidential) debates. Knowledgeable, pragmatic, with an agile, focused mind - Mr Kerry was the same man in all three appearances.

"Arthur Schlesinger Jr, the presidential historian, was asked recently . . . whether he saw any comparisons between Mr Kerry and John Kennedy, in whose administration Mr Schlesinger served . . . He said he found the two men 'similar in that they prove politicians can be intellectuals'. Despite the general debasement of American politics, this is still a desirable trait in a president . . .

"Mr Kerry is best suited to heal our painful rifts now - not just with the community of nations but within this nation, rent by social, ideological, economic, and religious divisions. These sap the strength of America. We are confident a Kerry presidency will restore both unity and strength."