Broodinghen's contribution vividly illuminates the dilemma which misleads so many scholars into dismissing Polk as a "lightweight" or somehow inferior President. Those who go beyond an easy approach and try to see the man in the context of his time instead of from our bird's eye view will discover that many - not all of course - of his attitudes, actions, and decisions appear very sound indeed, and that he must have been more agreeable a person than some biographers are willing to concede. To come to a sustainable assessment of Polk it is essential not to rely on just one of his biographers, but to study the contemporary political situation and go into his own writings. Thank you, Broodinghen, for doing just that.
