Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln died 150 years ago today.

Could you imagine the man's courage?  Making decisions he knew would anger half the country.  American fighting American to bring the country together.  Working his way up from nothing.

I don't have a list of favorite presidents, but if I did, Lincoln would be at or near the top.

Having been a journalist for nearly four decades (yikes!), I do have a mental list of presidents I would have liked to have interviewed and why.

FDR always fascinated me.  Hyde Park is a short distance away.  I've been there, and I really recommend a trip.  The man led a nation through war while fighting his own health problems.

There are a million things I'd ask JFK.

LBJ, and living with the Kennedy legacy, plus Vietnam and civil rights would be a fascinating talk.

Ben Maller on FOX Sports Radio says the best stories are in the losing locker room, so that puts Nixon on top of my list of interview subjects.  The man was a foreign policy genius.  He reached out to the Soviets and the Chinese.  Yet, his own paranoia and, dare I say, stupidity, brought him down.

Staying with the losing locker room theme, I'd love to sit down with Jimmy Carter for a while.  A good man.  A bad president.

Bush 43 just for the 9/11 story and that decision to go to war.

David Brinkley called Bill Clinton a "bore."  I'm not sure I'd agree.  It's been said many times, many ways, everybody has a story.