February 22, 2010

c1429-31_48026.jpg

(Alexander Haig - the tipping point was "being in charge")

With the news today of the passing of General Alexander Haig, I was reminded of his overzealous overstatement during the assassination attempt on President Reagan. How in retrospect that seemed to be a turning point in his career.

But apparently, Alexander Haig did have a short fuse, as was evidenced by this exchange during his Senate Confirmation Hearings when he was appointed Secretary of State by President-Elect Reagan.

Alexander Haig (when asked about his possible role in Watergate): “Do you think I’m going to endorse what was done? No way! On either side! And I want to be sure that balance is kept. And nobody has a monopoly on virtue. Not even you Senator”.

Certainly explains why one Senator presented him with a box of nails for a birthday present. But he did garner respect from his peers and he was a figure in history during some tumultuous years.

And to have survived that deserves at least praise.

Discussion

We welcome relevant, respectful comments. Any comments that are sexist or in any other way deemed hateful by our staff will be deleted and constitute grounds for a ban from posting on the site. Please refer to our Terms of Service for information on our posting policy.
Mastodon