The End of Cowboy...

Photo credit: Abel Gutierrez

On the eve of the 2008 election, the debate over cowboys and presidents continues. Some believe the stereotypical cowboy hero is a saddle-worn sidekick that presidents ought to put out to pasture. Yet few symbols communicate the ideas of good and evil, common sense, resolute action—and America—more clearly or succinctly. For that reason, if for no other, cowboys and presidents probably have not taken their last ride together. In fact, Barack Obama and John McCain and other presidential candidates showed a willingness to identify with the cowboy by donning cowboy hats and/or boots on the campaign trail. In early 2007 Giuliani appeared in a bolo tie, western cut suit, and boots at a professional bull-riding event in Madison Square Garden.  Only Hillary Clinton, seems to have rejected the icon.  On September 30, 2007, she told an audience in Oakland, California, that on her first day as president she would dispatch diplomats to countries around the world bearing the message that “the era of cowboy diplomacy is over.”

Cowboy Culture and Presidential Politics Intersect 
at the Autry National Center
April 11, 2008, through September 7, 2008