Word: idealistic
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...disciplining him, then find that the officers who ordered the discipline are lying to protect their own careers. Sorkin's weakest point is character, and the defending attorneys are pure stereotype: a brittle bundle of nerves who pines to be with his family (Mark Nelson), a gifted but ineffectual idealist (Megan Gallagher, in the only unconvincing performance) and the outwardly casual, inwardly intimidated son of a famous father (Hulce). Much the juiciest role, however, is the Ollie North-style commander, played with an infectious grin and a jaguar stalk by Stephen Lang. Even in these optimistic times, he makes...
When Bok was appointed president 18 years ago, he was a great liberal reformer, poised to restore order and democracy to the community after the turbulent years of Nathan M. Pusey '28. Today, he is the liberal-turned-corporate agent. The tired, burnt-out reformer. The idealist as guardian of an amoral status...
...internal conflict? Not on this score, Darman insists. He has described himself as "a long-term idealist and a short-term realist." Now, in an introspective moment, he adds, "That's the most important short thing I've ever said about myself." Realism, of course, often serves as a respectable disguise for political expedience. Eight years ago this month, he was the first White House insider to warn his colleagues that Reaganomics was flawed. He and Stockman later considered sabotaging Reagan's 1981 tax-reduction bill. Concessions to assorted special interests, necessary to overcome the Democrats' competing proposal, were becoming...
...idealist, I have to admit. I think human nature is self- interested. But there is such a thing as enlightened self-interest. The trick is to engage self-interest at the point where it touches other people's self- interest. Why shouldn't it be done on the international level, particularly when we have invented a way of putting an end to the whole experiment, by nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction. That is what the U.N. should be all about. I maintain that my idealism, which is based on some fairly rough experience, is a great deal more...
...older, better idea: orderly, considerate crowds in clean, pleasant surroundings, absorbed in a leisurely spectacle performed by happy, fulfilled heroes. How could people exposed to such idyllic wonders fail to carry some of their experiences out into the streets and their own homes? "I am an idealist, a Neoplatonist, I suppose," says Giamatti. "I grew up believing in values, and also believing we'll often fall short of realizing them. That training probably led me to baseball. The best hitters fail about 70% of the time. But that's no reason for them, or for any of us, to give...