Leadership Quote by John Sherman Cooper

"It was determined, as shown in the report of the Commission, which I can read to you, but I know you are familiar with the report. It states there was disagreement on this issue, particularly as the subject was debated, that there were different opinions about it"

John Sherman Cooper, Politician

About this Quote

A masterclass in procedural fog: Cooper piles up authority ("the report of the Commission") and accessibility ("which I can read to you") only to withdraw both in the same breath ("but I know you are familiar"). The move is less about informing than about managing the room. He invokes a document to signal rigor, then declines to use it, treating the report as a prop whose real function is to end argument, not advance understanding.

The quoted sentence performs a second, subtler maneuver: it converts conflict into process. "It was determined" obscures who did the determining; the passive voice launders responsibility. Then the report "states there was disagreement" and "different opinions", a bureaucratic shrug that makes division sound like a normal weather pattern rather than a political failure or a moral choice. Cooper isn't resolving an issue so much as narrating why resolution is inconvenient.

Context matters: Cooper, a mid-century Republican senator steeped in institutional norms, often operated in eras when commissions and reports were political safety valves. They absorb public pressure, buy time, and distribute blame. By emphasizing that debate produced "different opinions", he telegraphs moderation and caution, a posture that plays well when the stakes are high and consensus is scarce.

The intent is to reassure skeptics that the matter has been "handled" while sidestepping any demand for a decisive stance. It's governance as rhetorical anesthetic: the language doesn't argue; it sedates.

Quote Details

Topic	Decision-Making
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About the Author

John Sherman Cooper (August 23, 1901 - February 21, 1991) was a Politician from USA.

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