Some years ago when William Howard Taft was President of the United States, he found himself in an interesting dilemma. A woman who was a friend of the Taft family kept pestering President Taft to appoint her husband to the post of Secretary of Commerce. Now, the woman’s husband had no political experience at all – no training for the job at all – no real expertise or qualifications to bring to the position at all. In fact, he was a house painter! But, the woman wanted her husband to be named by the President to this key cabinet position… the Secretary of Commerce.

Now, of course, President Taft knew that he could not do that. He could not accommodate the woman’s request. That was obvious. So, President Taft (kind man that he was), tried to cushion his refusal by explaining to the wom…