I finally saw the HBO mini-series John Adams. It’s fabulous. Rent it or record it. Better yet, read the book by David McCullough.

 

I’m fortunate to have done both. As usual, the book is better. John Adams is at the top with Doris Kearns Goodwin’s work on Lincoln called Team of Rivals.

 

 

Thanks to David McCullough I lived with John Adams in my head for two weeks after finishing the book. That’s how good it was. More importantly, McCullough’s prose offers perspective of why John Adams, though not the marquee name like Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin, was so critical to our nation. A TV production has a hard time doing that, although the Broadway musical 1776 correctly portrays Adams as the main character.

 

However, none of this media comparison can degrade the HBO version one bit.

 

The direction, cinematography, along with performances by Paul Giamatti (Adams), Laura Linney (Abigail Adams), David Morse (George Washington), and Tom Wilkinson (Ben Franklin), will all get a fair share of awards for this TV season.

 

As usual, I looked to see if the HBO production took creative license. Were there hidden comments on today’s politics? Certainly, there were lessons for today, but there was nothing partisan. The political innuendo, if any, seemed to target both Democrats and Republicans.

 

Clearly, any viewer would think of the border-fence conservatives as President Adams and Vice President Jefferson argued about a law that would ban all French from the U.S. in 1800 at a time when France was hinting at going to war with us. Adams weighed the security reasons while Jefferson said such a law would be impossible to carry out while violating the Constitution and every principle fought for in the American Revolution.

 

As this crisis waned, you couldn’t help but think there was a message for the current White House occupant. Eventually, France, and their new Emperor, wanted a peace treaty with the U.S. which Adams wisely allowed to happen by refusing to saber-rattle or build-up troops. Clearly, the message was this: hold out for peace.

 

Peace was at hand for Adams and our fledgling country. But the word of the treaty and the news that there would be no war came too late for Adams: he lost re-election. Yet, the attitude of Adams was that peace was more important. Here is a swipe at all politicians who manufacture scorched-earth campaigns to win at all costs.

 

And there was a message for Obama and Clinton: no matter how much you fight or how dirty you fight, you can end up respected friends. Adams learns that his presidency was undermined by Jefferson who paid Adams’ critics to write about Adams. Still, Adams and Jefferson ended their feud by corresponding at great length in their old age.

 

If you haven’t seen it, then hold off and break it out during the Fourth of July.  It will help remind you what this country should be.

 

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