Thomas Jefferson is the writer of the Declaration of Independence, co-author of the constitution, and third President of the United States. Was he also the father of several illegitimate children, the primary cause of the War of 1812, and did he pay for the Louisiana Purchase with money illegally appropriated from military funds? Is it ok for the President to break the law and lie for “the greater good?” How far should executive privilege extend? Does character matter?

There is no doubt that President Jefferson’s first term was a success. He doubled the size of the country with the swipe of a fountain pen for a measly 13 million dollars. Sounds great right? Too bad, according to the constitution, all spending bills have to originate in the House of Representatives. President Jefferson used executive privilege to take money from the military budget to fund the Louisiana Purchase and the Louis and Clark expedition that followed. He was able to do this through Alexander Hamilton’s system of finance. This was a system that he openly opposed for more that 15 years. Is this a character flaw? The greater good?

During his second term, he refused to take sides when Britain and France went to war and stopped trading with both. This infuriated Britain and is said to be the reason we were invaded in 1812 and the White House was burned to the ground. Indecisive? In over his head? An American hero? If you don’t know what you’re getting in to, what does that say about your character? Is it possible that Jefferson created something so profound that even he could not live up to the expectations of such an exquisite document? I was taught that the founders were great presidents as well as great citizens. Now I wonder if they were any different from any other modern day politician. President Clinton lied under oath about having sex with an intern. So what! He presided over one of the greatest economic surpluses in US history due to the dot-com boom of the late 90’s. We all know that Al Gore invented the internet, but is it ok for President Clinton to take credit for something that was completely out of his control? Is it bad character if he does it while cheating on his wife at work? Had any of us done that, we would be fired and divorced. Talk about executive privilege! George W. Bush started a war to settle a family feud, but we have not been attacked since.

Finally; James K. Polk, the 11th president, ran on a platform that he was going to be EXACTLY like Thomas Jefferson. President Polk baited Mexico into a war and thousands died. This war gave us Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. He originally asked Mexico to sell us the land and they said no, so we took it. President Polk called it “manifest destiny”, meaning God is on our side. Historians talk about legacy, but they never talk about character. When will we FINALLY learn from history? If you could travel back in time knowing then what you now know……..would you vote for Thomas Jefferson? Does character matter?