Quote of the Day (Walter Lippmann, on the ‘Final Test of a Leader’)

"The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men, the conviction and the will to carry on….The genius of a good leader is to leave behind him a situation which common sense, without the grace of genius, can deal with successfully. "— American writer, reporter, and political commentator Walter Lippmann (1889-1974), "Roosevelt Has Gone" in The New York Herald Tribune (April 14, 1945).

Lippmann, longtime dean of American newspaper columnists, wrote these lines right after the death of Franklin Roosevelt, who, after three full terms in office and part of a fourth, seemed like an irreplaceable figure in American politics. I leave it to you, Faithful Reader, to figure out whether the current occupant of the Oval Office will pass the test that FDR aced. Or if he’s capable of it.