Inaugural Day 2013

According to the 20th Amendment, today is the day the president takes the oath of office.And Barack Obama did take that oath today. But he did so in private.I suppose that is a fitting metaphor for a president who prefers to bypass the constitutionally prescribed system of checks and balances, but this is done with the blessing of American tradition, if not the Constituton itself.The 20th Amendment, which was ratified 80 years ago this Wednesday,...

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The Paradoxical Century of Nixon

"The greatness comes not when things go always good for you, but the greatness comes when you are really tested, when you take some knocks, some disappointments, when sadness comes; because only if you've been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain. ... Always give your best. Never get discouraged. Never be petty. Always remember: Others may hate you. But those who hate you don't win, unless you...

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Sonny Side Up

"Keep your sunny side up, up,Drown a frown with a smile.If you think it's raining for you,Just remember, others are blue."Lew BrownThe timing was ironic, I suppose, for Mary Bono Mack's defeat in her bid for another term in the U.S. House last November.She has represented that California district ever since she was elected to succeed her late husband, Sonny Bono, who died in a skiing accident 15 years ago today.Whenever I think of him, I mostly think...

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