"I once told Nixon that the Presidency is like being a jackass caught in a hail storm. You've got to just stand there and take it"

This quote by Lyndon B. Johnson is a humorous method of explaining the difficult task of being President of the United States. Johnson was comparing the President to a jackass, a donkey, which is a sign of stubbornness and absurdity. The jackass is caught in a hail storm, which is a powerful and harmful natural phenomenon. The jackass has no option however to stand there and take the storm, just as the President has no choice however to stand there and take the difficult decisions and criticism that come with the task. Johnson was trying to convey that the President needs to accept the difficult and typically undesirable elements of the task, no matter how tough it might be. This quote is a suggestion of the hard job of being President and the guts and strength it requires to do it.