Now that's a Leader: James MacGregor Burns - RIP


We lost a good one on Tuesday in this Presidential scholar, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and longtime Williams College professor. I recall a day in 2006 when he was leading a seminar-critique on the Clinton Presidency for 20-30 of us at Renaissance Weekend in Charleston. Guess who walked in part way through the proceedings? Bill Clinton, with coffee cup in hand. Professor MacGregor Burns was ever polite and respectful, of course, but he really let President Clinton have it on at least two occasions. The President sat there with the rest of us, sipped his coffee, asked a few questions, countered a few points and then told Professor MacGregor Burns that he ultimately had to agree with him on his particular bone of contention. It's odd to engage in a session on the Clinton Presidency with the President sitting right there, to say the least, but it sure was interesting.