Mike McConnell Is Your Graduation Speaker
Jul 31, 202047.3K Shares1.3M Views
And I guess it could be worse. Mine was Jim McGreevey. But check out how the director of national intelligence contrasted his generation with the George Washington University Class of 2008:
“„Let me talk about the silent generation. This goes back a long time. I won’t tell you exactly how old I am, but I grew up in the aftermath of the Great Depression. I believe in an honest and hard day’s work. I’m structured and disciplined. I’m self-sacrificing. And I have great respect for authority. That describes my generation. …
“„Now you. Your characteristics. The best educated, most technically literate of any generation of Americans. You know no limits. You feel like you’re entitled to everything. (Laughter). (Applause). You are highly creative and technologically advanced. You believe anything and everything is possible. You crave teamwork, you crave fun, and you demand social relationships with everyone to include your boss. (Laughter).
Is it just me or couldn’t he have come up with even one teensy flaw about his generation — which is to say, his perception of himself? Like, maybe, I don’t know — racial segregation, or the oppression of women and gays. The world did not start going to hell when the Beatles came to America.
Also, among the characteristics McConnell might have included in his self-description: lying to Congress, lying to his boss’s political adversaries, lying to Congress again about legal restrictions on surveillance imposed by the FISA Court, and apologizing for torture. Aside from that, he’s a proud member of the Greatest Generation.
Paula M. Graham
Reviewer
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