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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On Transparency and 'Phony Scandals'

"My [a]dministration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in [g]overnment. ... Government should be transparent. Transparency promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their [g]overnment is doing."Barack ObamaWhite House memorandumMark this date in red — Aug. 9, 2013.That was the day Barack Obama held his most recent press conference — and I'm talking about the kind of press conference where the...

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Introducing the 'New' Nixon

On this night 45 years ago, Richard Nixon delivered his second presidential nomination acceptance speech. He had been presenting himself as a "new Nixon" — which meant (presumably) that he had changed since the last time he sought the presidency in 1960 — and his speech on this night in 1968 was his opportunity to make his case to the American people.Neither Nixon nor anyone who listened to him speak could have known that a burglary that wouldn't...

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The Mysterious Death of Warren Harding

President Warren Harding and his wife, FlorenceToday is a milestone anniversary of a presidential death that is still shrouded in mystery.No, I am not speaking of the Kennedy assassination.Here in Dallas, we know (or most of us do) that this year is the 50th anniversary of that assassination — which is, of course, still a subject for debate, but this year it seems to be even more of an industry than usual (until just recently, the city was taking...

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