The Presidency: Relaxed & Philosophical

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THE PRESIDENCY

"In the nearly three years that I have been your President," said Lyndon Johnson, "I have spoken on numerous occasions about the foreign policy of the United States. I naturally hope that my fellow citizens have read and remembered all these speeches. However, as a onetime schoolteacher, I am aware that one cannot count on universal enthusiasm for even the greatest literature. So I am not optimistic."

It was in that mood of humorous humility that the President, following his serious words at Arco, last week regaled an audience at the University of Denver on everything from politics to foreign policy during his one-day, "nonpolitical" foray through Idaho, Colorado and Oklahoma.

Tranquil Zone. The "overriding rule" of foreign policy, said the President, is that it "must always be an extension of our domestic policy," and for that reason he deeply mistrusted any international experts who do not know their U.S. politics. "The reason for this is very simple. Politics are the means by which men give collective voice to their hopes and aspirations." Were a visitor from Mars to be brought back to earth "from one of the more memorable space probes of the Johnson Administration," the President continued, he would find "a zone of political tranquillity" in the U.S.—"except in election years." But the political wars, said Johnson, are waged with words, and "as a veteran of twelve years in the U.S. Senate, I happily attest that they do not kill."

Launching into a lecture on social justice, the President noted that one of its foremost advantages is that it happens to be "very efficient." "We discovered that by assuring to everyone the fruits of his own labor," he said, "we made him a productive force of untold power. He became subject to the most exacting of all employers—namely himself." Perhaps the most notable feature of social justice, he added, is the knowledge that "the ladder upward is not so crowded that there is no room for you."

With the appreciative applause of the Denver academicians still ringing in his ears, the President flew to Oklahoma, though Republican Governor Henry Bellmon had coolly suggested that he keep his "nonpolitical" caravan out of the state during so political a season. Paying Bellmon no heed, the President turned up at Pryor, where a federally aided industrial park is planned, and told his audience that "while America has come a long way, the best is yet to come. Change is the most constant force in our world," he said, and U.S. policy is "to make it work for us."

A Birthday Table. As for Johnson himself, the best that the week had to offer came the following day. It was his 58th birthday, and he celebrated it in the way he likes best—down on the ranch. Temporarily relaxing her watchfulness over her husband's expanding waistline, Lady Bird set a birthday table that included barbecued beef, baked beans, two cakes and homemade peach ice cream. "No hill-country rancher could ever have a better birthday," said the President. "I just can't feel sorry for myself."