George Washington won an eight-and-a-half-year war against the mightiest military power in the world, presided over the Constitutional Convention, and served as first president for eight years. At the end of every assignment, he returned his power to the system that had honored him. He made America's principles real, both by taking charge effectively in war and peace and by stepping down when the time came. This program discusses his skill as a warrior, charisma, political savvy, devotion to right ideas, civility, and magnanimous renunciation. Richard Brookhiser, author of Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington, hosts.