In a town short these days on good political manners, let alone magnanimity, Washington would do well to recall the remarkable contribution of former President Herbert Hoover to the nation's bipartisan history. The 31st chief executive, a Republican, was the only one to write a biography of another one, Woodrow Wilson -- number 28 and a Democrat. Hoover not only was admiring in his book, but he accomplished the endeavor when he was in his eighties.
I am indebted to Amity Shlaes for gently correcting a joke of mine that dates back to July 8, 1972. On that day in the New York Times, I joshed that President Calvin Coolidge "probably spent more time napping than any President in the nation's history" and therefore was a successful president.
Paul Dickson, a noted author, commentator and lexicographer, warms up the audience by opening this entertaining and informative book with a list of 44 presidential firsts, in no real way related to the subject of presidential neologisms or phrases, but guaranteed to grab our attention.
Defense Secretary-designate Chuck Hagel's confirmation fight in the Senate is not only about the issues. It's also a bit personal.
At a time when college football was generally considered the domain of eastern blue bloods, Notre Dame and Alabama were upstart teams that gave blue collar fans a chance to tweak the elite.
Unless action is taken soon, the United States is set to undergo one of the largest series of tax increases in the past half-century. The rapid rise in U.S. federal government spending over the past decade has been even more troubling.
For years, many accepted the thesis that Herbert Hoover was the worst president of the 20th century and justly deserved the reputation of tipping the United States into the Great Depression. Moreover, the line went, he did nothing to set things right thereafter.
Mallory and Elizabeth Factor have written an important and powerful new book, "Shadowbosses," that explains the symbiotic relationship between the modern Democratic Party and today's labor unions. One is not possible without the other. Democratic politicians pass laws that give union leaders power over workers, and union leaders use that power to take "dues" money from workers to give to Democratic politicians.
James Srodes, a former Washington bureau chief for Forbes and Financial World and contributor to numerous publications, including the American Spectator and The Washington Times, has written a number of well-received biographies, among them "Allen Dulles: Master of Spies" and "Franklin: The Essential Founding Father."
The Gaffe Patrol is on the job this week in Charlotte, N.C. Bob Schieffer of CBS News, a wing commander who does not ordinarily fly combat missions, got the first kill at the Democratic National Convention. When Gov. Martin O’Malley of Maryland committed a gaffe — defined as a politician unexpectedly blurting out the truth — he suddenly flew into Mr. Schieffer’s gun-sights.
Mitt Romney is the second coming of former President George W. Bush. This is the false argument being peddled by Democrats and their liberal media allies. President Obama ceaselessly stresses that the Republican candidate will return America "to the failed policies of the past."
President Obama's first four years in office have proven a profitable time for stock pickers on Wall Street and expensive one for everyday commuters, but how the bull market in stocks and the high prices at the pump will balance out at the polls in November is an open question.
Things were going bumpily according to plan for the men in charge of the President Ford Committee at the Republican National Convention in Kansas City, Mo., in August 1976. With so many moving parts, however, most campaigns are at best "garbage moving in the right direction," as GOP operative Eddie Mahe once quipped.
The presidential campaign of 2012 is so negative because America's economy is so bad. While this may seem a non sequitur, the two not only are closely connected, but mesh with the campaign dynamics prevailing when an incumbent president seeks re-election.
Ready for a change from the summer doldrums or the city's hustle and bustle? It seems a weekend getaway to your own vacation home would be just the ticket.
Mr. Hoover writes not only with the grace born of simplicity, wide experience, and clear organization, but also with humor and sympathy."
It was Reagan who allowed the average citizen to own gold again, while Hoover rightly stated, in part: "As long as currency is convertible into gold of legal specification, it is vital to protection against economic manipulation by the government.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Look to gold, silver as U.S. debt mounts →
