The U.S. Constitution created our current form of government. The Executive Branch was established by Article III. When Article III was being fashioned, the ideal President they all had in mind was George Washington, so the article was written with Washington in mind. He was a reluctant candidate, talked into it by all of those around him. When he won election by a unanimous collection of electoral votes, and after he was sworn in, the people asked Washington what they should call him. Your Majesty? Your Highness? Your Excellency?
"Mr. President," said the humble man. He saw himself as no different than the average citizen. He was not a professional politician, or a member of an authoritarian ruling elite. He was simply a patriot that had the good fortune and privilege to serve his country.
After two terms, though there was no doubt Washington could have served as President for the rest of his life, he called it quits. After serving his country for 36 years as a military man, and a statesman, he was tired, and ready to hang it all up at Mount Vernon.
Washington's birthday was formally declared a holiday in 1879, but had been spontaneously celebrated since the American Revolution. The day as it was meant to be, however, has been lost. The man has been relegated down to being just another President, and the birthday celebration we used to observe has now been absorbed into a more generic version called President's Day.
George Washington was indispensable, loved, and first in the hearts of his countrymen. Now, he has been lumped into a homogeneous hodge-podge of past Presidents, on President's Day. His great legacy has been forgotten, and his great accomplishments have been hijacked and revised by a liberal education system, and media.
The media has worked to try to make it look like Washington would be proud of the damage the democrats are inflicting on our nation. Unlike Obama, who sees the Constitution as a living document filled with negative rights that makes it out of date, Washington called on Americans to display “pious gratitude” for their Constitution and warned against any “change by usurpation.”
If we read his writings, and the writings of the age about him, we realize we still have much to learn from Washington. He would be appalled by what we have become. He would be disappointed in our foreign policies, welfare state, and treatment of religious liberty. Like the Constitution, his words are still relevant, and his philosophies would still be the anchor of liberty if we were only willing to listen.
Washington's assessment of human nature recognized our weaknesses, and our need for a limited central system. He also recognized the importance of faith by adding to the Oath to become President the words, "So help me God." He did not place himself above the Constitution, and he did not believe because he was a man of the people he had to stop being a man of God.
The Republic was a grand experiment, and Washington was a visionary that recognized the American System was one that could stand the test of time, if only we held to its principles. He recognized that the legislative powers all belonged to Congress, and he did not take it upon himself to force his agenda, nor did he see himself as above the Congress. . . or above the people, for that matter.
Washington was careful to ensure “that the laws be faithfully executed,” even when he had to act as Commander in Chief. He did not issue executive orders that circumvented Congress, nor did he instruct his departments to regulate what could not be legislated. He had no “signature” legislative accomplishments. He used his veto twice–once on constitutional grounds and once in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief.
As a man that respected the Constitution, therefore he respected the law, Washington left the laws up to Congress and the people.
He was not self-serving, nor did Washington wish for much attention. He gave about three public speeches a year, including the shortest inaugural address on record. He had to be persuaded to accept the Presidency at the beginning of his first term, and he had to be persuaded to serve a second term. He did not see himself as a professional politician, or a ruler. Washington did not complain when Congress battled over issues, and took a long time to come to a decision, nor did he ever think he knew best and demand Congress to accept his own proposals. He took his queues from the Constitution, and he devoted most of his attention on what he knew was most familiar, foreign policy. George Washington believed in a strong military for the purpose of keeping the peace. His Farewell Address instructed that we must be strong, yet choose our battles carefully, rather than whimsically entering into foreign entanglements at every opportunity that did not even concern us.
The most glaring part of the Washington Presidency, however, was his faith. Religious liberty was a big deal to him. He was committed to ensuring this was a nation of faith, but that faith was left alone to practice as it desired, without government intrusion. His Thanksgiving Day Proclamation would be considered outrageous by today's standards. He would be criticized for his unwillingness to abide by the separation of church and state if he were to give that speech today. He believed that politicians should pray and the clergy should be able to preach on politics - just as long as a State Church was never established, that way the government would not control the church, nor would the church control the government.
Yesterday was President's Day, and tomorrow is Washington's actual birthday. Tomorrow is the holiday, in my opinion, and it is with thanks I celebrate Washington's Birthday, not as a general, neutral, undefined day that people see as nothing more than a chance to sleep in past their normal wake-up time, but as an observance of the birthday of the greatest statesman this nation has ever seen.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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