Clinton blew it. When he went into the meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff with the idea of integrating the Armed Forces on the "gays in the military" issue, he started out by asking "How hard are you going to fight me on this?" Pretty damned hard, it turned out. After a long, dragged-out battle, the best he was able to get was "don't ask, don't tell."

When Harry Truman met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff with the idea of racially integrating the armed forces, the J. C. of S. had their heels solidly dug in and didn't plan to back down an inch. But Give 'Em Hell Harry, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, simply walked into the meeting, issued an Executive Order, and walked out again. It took about thirty seconds and left the J. C. of S. with their mouths hanging open and mad enough to spit nails, but with a clear picture of what their orders were.

I've always kinda liked Harry Truman.

Don Firth