History repeats itself

Does this sound familiar?

"He was one of those rare men who believed almost to the point of mental illness in his own righteousness.

[The President] "believed in fact that his will and spirit were informed by the will and hope of a people and even of God. He talked of his 'sympathetic connection which I am sure that I have with' all American citizens, and said: 'I am sure that my heart speaks the same thing they wish their hearts to speak. I will not cry "peace" so long as there is sin and wrong in the world,' he went on. 'America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of the Holy Scripture.'

"He is probably the only American president to have held to this belief with quite such conviction, with no sign of self-doubt. It is a trait more associated with crusaders than politicians."

The president in question was Woodrow Wilson as the U.S. entered World War I, described by John M. Barry in The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History, a non-fiction bestseller which somehow found its way onto my fiction-heavy reading list.

BUSH OUT OF TOUCH. Yesterday's ABC News/Washington Post poll could give Bush some reason for self-doubt, with a solid majority saying they disagree with his priorities and positions on a wide range of issues.