Robbo, you're correct in that Franklin was pretty much a loyalist at first. It wasn't until he was sent as an ambassador to the crown following the tax revolts that he resigned himself to independence. The outright hostility he encountered convinced him that England would never treat America as anything but second-class citizens of the British Empire.

Upon his return, this resolve for rebellion caused a serious rift between him and his son William - so much so that they rarely spoke to each other again. Prior to that they had an extremely close relationship (contrary to popular belief, Franklin didn't sire a string of bastards and abdicated his paternal responsibities).

Franklin may have often seemed to be in it for himself but his whole life was dedicated to the idea of making things better for his fellow man. He never put patents on any of his inventions - i.e. the lighting rod (which prevented buildings from burning when hit by lighting), the stove, bifocals, and even the urinary catheter. Ouch. Hate to imagine him experimenting with that one.

He also founded the first major public library so that everyone could have access to books (not just the wealthy).

When he arrived in France shortly after the war started, he was tasked with securing French support against England. The French were extremely reticent about helping America at the time and Franklin was considered by both the King and his subjects to be something of a "rock star". Without his personal diplomacy, many historians agree that French assistance in the War of Independence might never have happened.

And much as I hate to admit it, without their aid America may well have lost that struggle (I know there are even some who argue that we might have sooner without it).

So cut old Ben some slack. He was probably the most practical, most industrious and likable of all of the founding fathers. He's probably the only one you could teleport to the 21st Century and he'd fit right in.

sorry, that should have been "(I know there are even some who argue that we might have won sooner without it)."

I refer to John J. Miller's book: "Our Oldest Enemy: A History of America's Disasterous Relationship With France"
http://www.amazon.com/Our-Oldest-Enemy-Disastrous-Relationship/dp/0385512198/sr=8-1/qid=1169048111/ref=sr_1_1/002-5670651-6631209?ie=UTF8&s=books
(which I highly recommend)

Robbo's personal animus against Franklin always amuses me.

He wasn't that bad a guy, really. I mean, he wasn't as virtuous, stern, and Augustan as John Adams, certainly, but he wasn't a traitor.

Nevertheless, I get a kick out of it.

During his stay in Paris, Ben did an outstanding job of packaging and marketing himself. He managed to appeal both to the Crown, on the Realpolitik level, and to the trendy Enlightenment types by invoking all their favorite stereotypes—rustic philosopher, Noble Savage, and so forth. That’s always interested me, because Ben reminds me more than a little of Voltaire in terms of his genuine intelligence and desire to promote the general good, along with a fair amount of cynicism and self-promotion.

As Gary noted, Ben’s got the most wide-ranging vita of any of the Founding Fathers, and he’s probably more personally likeable in modern terms than most of them. But I wouldn’t insult him by saying he’d fit right into modern DeeCee. Ben was cynical precisely because he lacked the amazing capacity for self-deception that’s practically a basic requirement if you’re going to be a modern politician. I’m sure most of the politicians I despise (and some I agree with) believe quite sincerely that they’re taking principled stands, but that’s because they hone their lying skills by practicing on themselves.

Utron - I didn't mean I think he'd fit in politically. He'd have no use for any of that. I meant he'd fit it quite well culturally. Can't you see him as a judge on "American Idol". Oh, that wit. He'd be merciless.

Of course he'd also make a terrific political analyst on FoxNews.

I didn't say that I hate the guy, just that I like him less than most of the others.

Ol Ben would be the consumate Beltway Insider these days, constantly passing through the revolving door between the guv'mint and K Street, with a whole raft of writing, tee vee and blogging gigs on the side.

Old Ben as a blogger?

First reaction: LOL!

Second reaction: wait a minute, he _was_! What was Poor Richard's Almanack, if not an 18th-century version of a blog?

There is a slippery, opportunistic quality about him, coupled with an inflated ego, that always puts me off.

I agree he had a generous ego, but I'm not sure it was bigger than it deserved. Successful printer, inventor, diplomat, politician, orator, and scientist; developed the post office and the public library; apparently produced a fairish number of wrong-side-of-the-blanket kidlets, as well as several legitimate ones. By the standards of his time he was a very successful man.

Favorite Franklin story: In his later years, he had developed a bit of a paunch. One woman at a dinner party once patted him on his gut and said, "Dr. Franklin, if this were on a woman we would know what to think"

To which Franklin replied, "Actually it was on a woman about an hour ago. What do you think of that?"

Such cheek. You gotta love it.