What’s so bad about saying you were wrong?

I recently became fed up with the media reports about the presidential candidates and their “flip-flopping” on various issues.  For the rest of us, changing our mind is often described as learning, or even considering a matter more deeply.

For politicians, we have made it a sign of weakness, weak-mindedness, or craven pursuit of political advantage.  Don’t get me wrong.  Sometimes a politician’s change of position is due to those considerations.  But let’s talk about what the positions are, not the “gotcha” politics of hunting down inconsistent statements.  Was Lincoln a less credible advocate of emancipation because he previously didn’t support it?

Please check out my further thoughts here.  And here’s a selection of our presidential flip-floppers.

First president George Washington, flip-flopper on military strategy against the British.

James Madison, fourth president, flip-flopper on the Bank of the United States, and other issues.

Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth president, Flip-flopper on emancipating slaves.