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Article: `OLD KINDERHOOK': UNDERESTIMATED; Martin Van Buren, like George Bush, was something of a "resume candidate" and suffered the constant comparison to his popular predecessor
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- January 20, 1989
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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They make an odd pair: George Bush and Martin Van Buren, the new
president's political hero.
And if Bush, who has been extolling his "marvelous Van Buren
transition," worries about his own reputation, he probably hopes the
comparison ends shortly before noon today.
That's because many of the problems that dogged the eighth
president started on March 4, 1837, the day Van Buren took office.
It was a bright, sunny day, but the new president found himself
completely overshadowed by Andrew Jackson, his popular predecessor.
As Sen. Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri remarked: "For once, the
rising sun was eclipsed by the setting sun."
Van Buren, who until today was the last sitting vice president ...