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Of the character of our political system and its volatility. Scarcely more than one third of our chief executives, beginning in the 18th century, have been elected to a second term for one reason or another. Eight have died in office. Four have been assassination. Five have been elected without popular majorities. Three have been impeached, two of those in the lifetime of many people with us here today. Of all of those numbers, the one i want to of the size most, is the number one. By that i mean that the president is simply one of the 536 elected officials in washington, d. C. Strictly speaking, it is 537, 535 members of congress, and the im treating the president and Vice President for this purpose as a single entity. So the president is one of 536 elected officials. When i reflect on that asymmetry between the one president and 536 other federal elected officials, im reminded of a quip by the journalist theodore white, who wrot ....
Which is some kind of a rudimentary indicator of the character of our political system and its volatility. Scarcely more than one third of our chief executives, beginning in the 18th century, have been elected to a second term for one reason or another. Eight have died in office. Four have been assassinated. Five have been elected without popular majorities. Three have been impeached, two of those in the lifetime of many people with us here today. Of all of those numbers, the one i want to emphasize the most is simply the number one. By that i mean that the president is simply one of the 536 elected officials in washington, d. C. Strictly speaking, it is 537, 535 members of congress, and im treating the president and Vice President for this purpose as a single political entity. So the president is one of 536 elected officials. When i reflect on that asymmetry between the one president and 535 other federal elected officials, im re ....
To be the supreme allied commander and it was an accident of timing with this decision. So i was the accidental admiral. Host that the navy was an accident as well as a career . Somewhat. Going way back i grew up in the marine corps family. My father was the fighting in korea and vietnam and i grew up in that environment and i went to Quantico High School and then went on to the Naval Academy thinking i would be a marine corps officer. After my first year the navy sends everybody out on a cruise and you go out on a ship beautiful cruiser on san diego it was late in the day the sun was setting and and i just wanted to be a sailor at that point so i told my dad and my mom and they were hoping it would be a marine that they got over it years later when i got my first star is that i think that came out okay. Host you almost left the nav navy . I did i graduated from annapoli ....
Admiral why do you refer to yourself as the accidental admiral . [laughter] what a great question. You can choose to hear a particular course you will lose ultimately in a different direction. And then to be in charge of all activity and with the commander of us Pacific Command position for senior admiral. My boss, a wonderful boss, secretary gates called to say forget about the pacific we will send you to nato i bk the first and only admiral to be the supreme allied commander and it was an accidenthe. That the navy was an accident as a career . Soet somewhat. That my father had kernel of marines growing up in that environment and going to Quantico High School thinking it would be them marine corps everybody goes out on a cruise going on a cruise are in san diego. Late in the day on the peer and the sun was setting looking out on all that ocean and i just wanted to be ....