If John was Sadat, Paul was Begin. If John was Kennedy, Paul was Johnson: the one so rich in vision, but not held answerable by history, the other so practical and effective, but in 15 years able to see the consequences of his own work. John and Paul together capture the meaning—and melancholy—of the dreadful middle years of this century. It is no news to observe that John was a hard act to follow. But now that the play is finished, what sort of act was it after all? A tragedy, or a comedy of errors?
One thing seems clear. Paul learned from John—but not the right things. He could not replicate the warmth, no one could have. So he imitated it. But the whole of John was the beautiful soul—impulsive, sincere, deep, a gift of God to a tired and sick world. Beyond that there was little substance to John, for there was not enough time. Had he lived to navigate through the storms which battered the Church in days to come, he might have found himself floundering in heavy seas. Warmth and good will, beautiful, impulsive gestures, touch our hearts. They do not solve our problems. After walking down Pennsylvania Avenue, after all, Jimmy Carter, still had to go into the White House. John did not have to assess the results of his policies, or live with them. Paul did—and did not fully grasp them.
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