Doris Kearns Goodwin speaking to Charlie Rose about Ted Kennedy's awkward pressure to run for president despite him being not only a great Senator but a NATURALLY great Senator, the job fitting him like a glove, makes me think something Ta-Nahisis Coates wrote today that I've been screaming for years and leads me to this: there is no shame in being a great Senator who has neither the desire nor the facility to be president any more than there is in being a great offensive or defensive coordinator without the desire or facility of being a head coach. I've used the Norv Turner example for years; only now does it occur me to apply it to Teddy.
Being great at something is better than being merely good at something else; to continue the football theme I remember reading Lou Holtz' book a few months after he won the national title wherein he explained that a player whose talents make him average at one position may lend themselves to being great at another position - his best example being a tight end who's speed is below average to excel at tight end and therein his speed is a negative may be moved to tackle, wherein his speed would be above average for the position, and therein a positive.
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