I was researching a post I might write some day about Republican presidents, and I came across this photo. Who are these people? Scions of two Republican presidents, they are Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower, who married in 1968 and … Continue reading →
It seems as though every ship disaster has at least one goat and at least one hero. Titanic had many self-sacrificing heroes, and it had Bruce Ismay as the main goat, although there were others. Captain Edward Smith was both … Continue reading →
Now comes the news that North Korea’s Kim Jong Il (age variously reported as 69 or 70) has died. It’s been rumored for several years that he’d been gravely ill with a stroke and then pancreatic cancer, but his official … Continue reading →
Remember Reagan’s eleventh commandment, “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican?” This year the interminable debate format and the large size of the field has made it almost inevitable that just about everybody’s been violating it, and it … Continue reading →
[Hat tip: Ann Althouse.] Excerpt by Peter Gnedich, “Memories,” from The Book of Life (1922): Lev Tolstoy sincerely loved Chekhov, but did not like his plays. He told Chekhov once, “A playwright should take the theater-goer by the hand, and … Continue reading →
Demographer S. Jay Olshansky has done a study appearing in JAMA which he claims debunks the popular idea that serving as POTUS is so stressful it shortens a person’s life: Olshansky found that 23 of the 34 U.S. presidents who … Continue reading →
A number of people have recommended this article by Walt Harrington about George W. Bush, whom the journalist first met back in the 80s and became friendly with. Those people are correct; it’s a fascinating read. Their friendship endured throughout … Continue reading →
I’ve been asked to comment on Obama’s depression—no, not the economic kind; the psychological kind. Speculation is that the NY Times is about to do a story on the president’s growing gloom and listlessness. So here it is: I haven’t … Continue reading →
Well, not really. For one thing, the interview was conducted in 1958, before Obama was born. But maybe you’ll see what I mean if you watch some of it: As for Huxley, although I think Brave New World was a … Continue reading →
The NY Times offers some excerpts from a series of interviews Jackie Kennedy granted Arthur Schlesinger in early 1964, just a short while after her husband was assassinated. The content of those talks has been sealed all these years, but … Continue reading →
Despite my interest in politics (or perhaps because of it?), there haven’t been many presidential candidates over the years who’ve roused much enthusiasm in me. In fact, the single exception might have been Paul Tsongas, who ran for (and lost) … Continue reading →
I was thinking about conspiracy theories last night. In the garden of the forking paths that is internet research, that led me to read up on the Kennedy assassination. It’s not as though I was previously unfamiliar with the facts. … Continue reading →