Why did Harry Truman say, "The Buck stops here?"?

Question

Would Bush be hesitant to have that sign on his desk?

Thanks again Psychic Cat.

Answer 1

"Truman, whose demeanor was very different from that of the patrician Roosevelt, was a folksy, unassuming president. He popularized such phrases as "The buck stops here" and "If you can't stand the heat, you better get out of the kitchen." "

"Harry S. Truman" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_S._Truman

"Truman's use of the slogan "the buck stops here" in speeches, and on a sign on his desk, derives from the adoption of the phrase "passing the buck" as a metaphor for avoiding responsibility."

"Button (poker)" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Button_(poker)

"On more than one occasion President Truman referred to the desk sign in public statements. For example, in an address at the National War College on December 19, 1952 Mr. Truman said, "You know, it's easy for the Monday morning quarterback to say what the coach should have done, after the game is over. But when the decision is up before you -- and on my desk I have a motto which says The Buck Stops Here' -- the decision has to be made." In his farewell address to the American people given in January 1953, President Truman referred to this concept very specifically in asserting that, "The President--whoever he is--has to decide. He can't pass the buck to anybody. No one else can do the deciding for him. That's his job." "

""The Buck Stops Here" Desk Sign", Truman Presidential Museum & Library : http://www.trumanlibrary.org/buckstop.htm

"The sign "The Buck Stops Here" that was on President Truman's desk in his White House office was made in the Federal Reformatory at El Reno, Oklahoma. Fred M. Canfil, then United States Marshal for the Western District of Missouri and a friend of Mr. Truman, saw a similar sign while visiting the Reformatory and asked the warden if a sign like it could be made for President Truman. The sign was made and mailed to the President on October 2, 1945."

"Approximately 2-1/2" x 13" in size and mounted on walnut base, the painted glass sign has the words "I'm From Missouri" on the reverse side. It appeared at different times on his desk until late in his administration."

"The buck stops here" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_buck_stops_here

Answer 2

"The Buck Stops Here" simply meant that Harry Truman was the man in charge and he made the decisions and took responsibility for how things turned out...good or bad. It is an saying derivied from the Old West and the game of poker, the "buck" usually a knife was stabbed in the table in front of whoever was dealing the cards. Passing the buck meant you gave up the responsibility for how things turned out in the next hand. This saying meant that Truman was always going to be the dealer and he wasn't going to blame anyone else for how his decisions turned out.

Answer 3

One of the most famous of presidential saying. It was prominently displayed on his desk so every could see it. It was his way of telling others that he was totally in charge and if things went wrong he was their to accept the criticism or blame.

Answer 4

I don't think Bush would be hesitant, but he would be fool. I doubt he's competent to make any decisions on his own.