Abraham Lincoln is one of the most celebrated and revered persons, certainly ranked in the shortlist of greatest American presidents. Abe, since he and I are on a first name basis, is also one of the most written about men in history. During the past few years, I have to confess, Abe has been on … More Young Abe Lincoln: Lessons
Thank you Greg Norman for giving me an excuse to once again write about Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist who was brutally murdered inside the Saudi embassy in Turkey. Norman is a successful professional golfer who is involved with a Saudi-backed golf organization. Recently, Norman made comments about the Khashoggi murder, seemingly chalking it up … More Still Awaiting Justice for Jamal Khashoggi
I never understood the historical, religious and political conflict in Northern Ireland. At the time, all I saw was tragedy. No, I did not live there, so it is perhaps not fair to comment. I do not judge, and naïvely, I always wondered why everyone could not find a way to live in peace. When … More Belfast (2021)
Memoirs are one of my favorite genres of books. Recently, I read Carl Bernstein’s Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom (Henry Holt and Co., 2022) and William Barr’s One Damn Thing After Another: Memoirs of an Attorney General (William Morrow, 2022). I read these books back-to-back. Dueling memoirs. What could these stories have in … More Bernstein v. Barr
Classic rock is not only for boomers. Rock fans run the gamete of styles and ages; they may be associated with the Woodstock generation, but rock fans are as diverse as your coffee drink selections, craft beers or marijuana brands. Bruce Springsteen is not of the Woodstock era, but he cut his teeth as a … More Bruce Springsteen: Falling Out of Favor?
In 1980, the Clash released a song called “Ivan Meets G.I. Joe” on their stunning Sandinista album. At the time, U.S. – Soviet relations were at a low point. The Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan and the U.S. was sending arms to Afghan fighters, particularly Stinger surface to air missiles that fell many Soviet helicopters … More Ivan Meets G.I. Joe
Only one of two Attorney Generals to serve multiple times, William Barr looks back on his long legal and government service career in One Damn Thing After Another. The title of the book should be, William Barr: A Privileged, Trump Apologist. I have read a number of Trump-era looks; some good, some bad. Barr’s book … More William Barr: One Damn Thing After Another
Carl Bernstein is a throwback to newspaper men and woman of a different and lost time in America. If you’ve ever seen The Front Page, Lou Grant or Teacher’s Pet; this was a time of hard-boiled newsroom editors who drank, smoked cigars and were married to chasing stories, or at least that’s the romanticized image. … More Carl Bernstein: Chasing History
Richard Nixon told David Frost, “If it hadn’t been for Martha, there would have been no Watergate.” Let that sink in. What Nixon meant was the time her husband John Mitchell spent on wife Martha, he was not tracking and making sure the various nefarious deeds of the Nixon re-election campaign and keeping them from … More Martha Mitchell: Washington Personality, Wife of Attorney General John Mitchell, and American Folk Hero
The new book by Rosemary Sullivan (2022), The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation, is chilling to read. We know what happened to Anne Frank and the other seven who hid from the Nazis for 26 months, but less about the society where both betrayal and heroism existed side by side. Anxious to … More The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation
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