[x]

Some interesting parallels between Obama and Wilson. Wilson wasn't very experienced at politics when he took office. He had difficulties getting along with people and a real intellectual arrogance.

Will blurbed a recent book on Wilson, Woodrow Wilson: Princeton to the Presidency. It's sympathetic to Wilson and his goals, but shows what a mess he made of things at Princeton because he didn't know how to win over and manage people.

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

There are always parallels between presidencies, but Obama’s most mirrors that of Wilson.

Third term of wilson is exactly right.

[Pollster1]

[Obama] has shown himself to be a timid progressive.

Timid???

[JoeFromSidney]

there were spheres where abstract principles didn't get you very far, where reason could never be king."

when I used to teach a course in Management, part of the course dealt with rational methods of decision-making. I would warn my students that there were two decisions which they should never make using these methods: choice of a spouse, and choice of a career.

[gusopol3]

Peter Beinart dissects the progressivism of Woodrow Wilson. Edward House, Wilson's closest adviser, wrote an awful but indicative novel, "Philip Dru: Administrator."

As popularized by Beck.

[x]

I should have said that the book was about Wilson at Princeton, but the pattern he set there was also reflected in his Presidency.

Wilson wanted to get rid of Princeton's elitist eating clubs. It was a difficult thing to do, but Wilson's rigidity and hostility turned the alumni against him and his other reform which was to build a graduate school on the main campus.

The graduate school was built, but at about half a mile away. One suspects it was built there simply to get back at Wilson. A better administrator might have recognized that building it at all was a win, but not Wilson.

Wilson comes across as a thoroughly dislikeable character, even though the author, W. Barksdale Maynard (a Princeton grad), approves of his educational innovations. Wilson was too ambitious, too imperious, too hostile towards people, too quick see rivals, to take offense, and to subscribe opposition to evil intentions.

Obama's not exactly like Wilson, but they're both cases of men with little administrative experience or skill who are in over their heads.

[nkycincinnatikid]

Anyone interested in disaster which was Wilson would profit by reading the psycological study of the beast by Siegmund Freud and Wm. C. Bullit. It was uncomplimentary that it was not published in the USA until the late 60’s.