In Pursuit of Peace in the Middle East

"The Framework for Peace in the Middle East and the Framework for the Conclusion of a Peace Treaty Between Egypt and Israel were two major steps forward. For a few hours, all three of us were flushed with pride and good will toward one another because of our unexpected success. We had no idea at that time how far we still had to go."Jimmy CarterKeeping Faith (1982)It is probably not an exaggeration to say that the presidency of Jimmy Carter endured...

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The Day a Birmingham Church Was Bombed

A couple of weeks ago, the nation paused to remember Dr. Martin Luther King's inspiring "I Have a Dream" speech that was given at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963.That was certainly a great moment — an uplifting moment — in American history. But 2½ weeks later, in the truest sense of Sir Isaac Newton's laws of physics, there was an equal and opposite reaction.Fifty years ago today, the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. — which had been used...

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Will We Ever Know the Truth About JFK?

President and Mrs. Kennedy disembark in Dallas.In a little more than two months, it will be the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy here in Dallas.It goes without saying that it was a traumatic event for this country — particularly so for this city (my grandmother always regarded it as a black eye for Dallas) — and I suppose many people have lived for years, probably decades, with a desire to know the real story of what happened...

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George Wallace: No Middle Ground

"There's some people who've gone over the state and said, 'Well, George Wallace has talked too strong about segregation.' Now let me ask you this: how in the name of common sense can you be too strong about it? You're either for it, or you're against it. There's not any middle ground as I know of."George Wallace1962There are many people who, regardless of almost anything else they ever did or will do, will forever be linked to the American civil...

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A Ride in a Tank

The Saturday Night Live parodies of presidential debates sometimes seem like they've been a part of presidential campaigns forever — even though the SNL parodies, like the debates themselves, haven't been regular parts of presidential campaigns for quite 40 years yet.Twenty–five years ago, the debate parodies were still evolving, but they had already established themselves as truly (and humorously) insightful. And I thought one of the best examples...

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Myth America

I think the origin of the phrase "women's liberation" can be traced back 50 years, maybe more, but it may not have been widely used until this day in 1968 (I was a child in 1968 so there are certain to be things of which I knew little and understood even less).Forty–five years ago today, hundreds of women staged a protest in Atlantic City, N.J., home of the annual Miss America Pageant. They were protesting what they saw as the meat market atmosphere...

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Between a Rock and a Hard Place

There were times — not many but a few — in my college days when I played some poker with my friends.I was never very good at it, especially the art of bluffing — and I say that with all due respect because I'm sure those guys who were good at bluffing have gone on to enjoy great success in whichever career paths they followed.Especially if their career paths were political. Politics frequently requires good bluffing — in other words, having what...

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When the Cold War Got Hot

What would your answer be if you were asked to name the hottest moment of the Cold War?Most people would probably say the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, and they'd get no argument from me — but my choice would be the event that happened 30 years ago today.I'm referring to the shooting down of Korean Air Lines Flight 007.It was a Thursday, the first day of September. Labor Day was coming up, which meant a three–day weekend, and football season was...

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The Quest for a 'New Day for America'

"[M]ay we ... just quietly and silently — each in our own way — pray for our country? And may we just share for a moment a few of those immortal words of the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi — words which I think may help heal the wounds and lift our hearts? Listen to this immortal saint: 'Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light.'...

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The Work That Remains to be Done

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."Martin Luther KingAug. 28, 1963The headline on a recent Pittsburgh Post–Gazette editorial read: "Fifty years ago common Americans made history."I know what the headline writer was trying to say, but, if I had been there, I would have suggested changing "common" to a different word...

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The Chaos in Chicago

"The confrontation was not created by the police; the confrontation was created by the people who charged the police."Gentlemen, let's get the thing straight, once and for all. The policeman isn't there to create disorder; the policeman is there to preserve disorder."Chicago Mayor Richard DaleyAugust 1968I think it is fair to say that America in 1968 was a nation mired in a malaise.It had not been an uplifting year. It began with the Tet offensive...

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The Passing of a 'Giant' Among Journalists

"Before politics was fed into computers and moveable maps came out, Jack Germond had it all in his head."Walter MearsFormer Associated Press reporterJournalist Jack Germond, who died last week, was, in the words of colleague Jules Witcover, "a giant" of American journalism.Many years ago, I read — for the first time — "Marathon," the book Witcover and Germond co–authored on the 1976 presidential campaign. I have read it several times since, each...

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Read My Lips

Twenty–five years ago tonight, George H.W. Bush delivered his first presidential nomination acceptance speech.He had delivered two vice presidential acceptance speeches — when he was nominated to be Ronald Reagan's running mate. But this was his first presidential nomination acceptance speech.He may well have won the presidency — and simultaneously doomed his re–election bid — with a single pledge he made in the convention hall in New Orleans — "Read...

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Dan Quayle's Coming-Out Party

Twenty–five years ago today, Sen. Dan Quayle of Indiana was introduced as Vice President George H.W. Bush's choice for a running mate.And the focus at the Republican convention in New Orleans shifted almost immediately from speculation about the identity of Bush's running mate to skepticism of the choice."This was supposed to be his showcase week," lamented Ed Rollins, manager of the 1984 Reagan–Bush campaign that carried 49 states.Rollins wasn't...

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