A president 's decisions while in office can make or break the country. There is an ongoing debate on whether or not there is a benefit to presidents having military service prior to being elected. Foreign policy, war, and leadership decisions can all be affected by the skills and knowledge a candidate would receive from time spent in the military. Although there have been successful presidents who had no military experience prior to holding office, military experience is essential to a president 's success as Commander-in-Chief. Certain skills that come from military experience are crucial while running the country. The article "Military Roots: Presidents Who were Veterans" states that "[Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower] exemplified the strengths of military training by proving themselves to be diplomatic, dynamic leaders in an unstable world" ("Military Roots") as if stresses the importance of military training. Eisenhower and Truman were diplomatic, dynamic and overall successful presidents in an unstable time period because of their military training gave them first hand experience in how to deal with situations and problems that may arise during one 's time in office. Although some may argue that Eisenhower and Truman were not the most successful presidents, a rating of presidential approval by Rottinghaus and Vaughn places Truman at sixth with a 76.57% approval rating and puts Eisenhower seventh with a 75.34% approval rating, Baker 2 probing that the two veterans are among the highest rated presidents in the history of our country. "Military Roots: Veterans Who were Presidents" statement that "The prevalence of Presidential Veterans often corresponds with America 's success on the battlefield" ("Military Roots") further supports that there is a direct relationship between Presidential Veterans and success as Commander-in-Chief. Presidents with a military background have skills from extensive military training giving them an advantage when it comes to military affairs, resulting I 'm more success in leading and commanding our nation 's troops. Some would say that there is no direct relationship between military experience and a president being successful in office, but being Commander-in-Chief of the United States requires the ability to be an effective leader who can make smart decisions that will benefit the country. This trait is more prevalent among those with experience in fighting for their nation. Overall, veterans are better equipped with experience, leadership, and decision making skills. Although not every successful president comes from a military background and not every veteran president has a successful run in office, veterans generally make good presidents. "The Legacy of the Clinton Administration" states that ". . . Clinton 's presidency is also one of the most successful of the 20th century --- not only for its enormous domestic accomplishments and significant foreign policy achievements, but also for a creating a stronger nation at the beginning of a new century" ("The Legacy") arguing that Clinton was a successful president even without prior military experience. There are always exceptions and with an approval rating by Rottinghaus and Vaughn placing him eighth with an approval rating of 69.66%, Clinton is definitely an exception. People will argue that Clinton was highly ranked in approval despite the Baker 3 fact that he had no experience in the military, but he still fell short of veterans like Lincoln, Washington, Truman, and Eisenhower.
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The article "James Buchanan" states that "[Scholars] portray buchanan as timid, weak, and indecisive. Insecure and excessively reliant on the opinions of others, he was also prone at times to adhere stubbornly to decisions however flawed" ("James Buchanan") claiming Buchanan to be a veteran president who was considered unsuccessful in office. Buchanan was considered flawed as a president, but when the majority of the nation 's presidents have served in office, a few bad examples are to be expected. Although some would claim that Buchanan is proof that a military background is not in any way beneficial to a president, Buchanan is described as stubborn which is a negative attribute of his personality and not proof that military experience negatively affected his run in office.Though there are always exceptions, presidents with military backgrounds have done an overall better job and have higher approval ratings than presidents without any military service. Most Americans seek a military background in presidential candidates. "Military Roots: Presidents Who were Veterans" states that "Partisanship soon became
The article "James Buchanan" states that "[Scholars] portray buchanan as timid, weak, and indecisive. Insecure and excessively reliant on the opinions of others, he was also prone at times to adhere stubbornly to decisions however flawed" ("James Buchanan") claiming Buchanan to be a veteran president who was considered unsuccessful in office. Buchanan was considered flawed as a president, but when the majority of the nation 's presidents have served in office, a few bad examples are to be expected. Although some would claim that Buchanan is proof that a military background is not in any way beneficial to a president, Buchanan is described as stubborn which is a negative attribute of his personality and not proof that military experience negatively affected his run in office.Though there are always exceptions, presidents with military backgrounds have done an overall better job and have higher approval ratings than presidents without any military service. Most Americans seek a military background in presidential candidates. "Military Roots: Presidents Who were Veterans" states that "Partisanship soon became