Two years after the Civil War ended in 1865, a Republican Congress gained a veto-proof majority in both chambers. They almost immediately began trimming the powers of the executive and judicial branches. First, they replaced President Andrew Johnson’s Reconstruction plan…
In November, 1863, the New York Herald reported that a temperance committee had asked President Lincoln to dismiss Ulysses S. Grant. They told him the general was an imbiber of strong spirits, to which Lincoln replied: “I wish you would tell…
“Treat the Negro as a citizen and a voter — as he is, and must remain — and soon parties will be divided, not on the color line, but on principle.” So wrote President Ulysses S. Grant in a message…
Here I am in Naples, Florida ending the year in the sun and actually coterminous with a golf course. I, of course, will not indulge in the sport, for I find it too leisurely. Actually I do not even consider it a sport. I am in agreement with my old friend, the great basketball coach Bob Knight. A true sport demands conditioning, applied strength, speed, and, of course, art. Golf involves only art. In fact, when strength and conditioning are demanded most golfers take to their golf carts. Golf is as much a sport as bowling or billiards or canasta. So I shall continue to desist from golf here in sunny Florida and leave the pastime of golf to my friends Rush Limbaugh, Donald Trump, and Bill Clinton. Does Hillary Clinton golf? She looks more like a bowler to me.
Washington Did you know this? “Not since Lincoln has there been a president as fundamentally shaped — in his life, convictions and outlook on the world — by reading and writing as Barack Obama.” Frankly, I did not know President…
Historians often write that Ulysses S. Grant was a great general, but a poor president who presided over numerous scandals. While he was never personally involved in the scandals, the corruption tarnished his reputation. Context is important. By the time…