I had the privilege of working in three presidential
administrations. One of my best memories
is working with talented and dedicated government workers, both career and
political, who believed in public service. The civil servants were the smartest
people that I ever worked with. The
majority of political appointees hoped to make a contribution. We have lost much in the mindless denigration
of these hardworking people. Of course,
not all of them were oustanding performers and sometimes the government made
mistakes, but attracting, using and appreciating the best and the brightest in
government should still be a national goal.
Things were different a half-century ago. We all recall President Kennedy’s soaring
Inaugural Address, a citizen’s call to arms. But fewer know of first State of the Union
address, only ten days after inauguration, in which he said, “Let the public
service be a proud and lively career.
And let every man and woman who works in any area of our national
government, in any branch, at any level, be able to say with pride and with
honor in future years: ‘I served the
United States government in that hour of our nation’s need.’”
And he said, “Let it be clear that this Administration
recognizes the value of dissent and daring—that we greet healthy controversy as
the hallmark of healthy change.” These
are insightful words from a President who understood the value of inspiration
as part of leadership.
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