The history of semicentennial American presidential oratory is limited, but Donald Trump’s upcoming semiquincentennial remarks are destined to mark a low point in the canon.
Gerald Ford
Posted inPolitics
The Charlie Kirk Assassination: More Than Just Murder
The law makes distinctions between killings, and there’s a reason political assassination deserves a special circle of Hell.
Posted inPolitics
The Ballad of Coach Tim Walz
The Ballad of Coach Tim Walz. The Minnesota governor’s football coaching helps the Democratic ticket because, unlike Trump’s shtick, the relatable, down-to-earth terminology of sports is a patois that never dies.
Posted inPolitics
The Only Kept Secret in Washington
Fifty years ago, months before Richard Nixon resigned the presidency, a small group of White House staffers quietly planned for the ascension of Gerald Ford. Not even Nixon or Ford knew.
Posted inCharlie Peters
“The Washington Monthly—contained the smartest, freshest, and often funniest writing about politics and government.”
A journalist, historian, and filmmaker recalls working for the late Charlie Peters, including terse phone calls, “rain dances,” and why meeting this magazine’s founding editor was better than seeing The Beatles.
Posted inPolitics
Memo to Democrats: Tie Putin to Trump
The carnage in Ukraine must be laid at the former president’s doorstep.
Posted inMain, Political Animal, Politics
Bob Dole, RIP: Veteran, Organization Man, and the Search for “Regular Order”
A few thoughts on overlooked aspects of the late senator and GOP leader’s career.
Posted inFeatured, Political Animal, Politics
Nobody Cares Who Lost Afghanistan
The fall of Kabul is a tragedy. It’s not a political liability for Joe Biden.
Posted inFeatured, Political Animal, Politics
The Politics of Pardons
Gerald Ford’s pardon of Richard Nixon probably cost him his reelection. Trump’s quest for the 2024 GOP nomination is unlikely to be hindered by a giant pardon of his family and himself.
Posted inPolitical Animal
On the Moral Necessity of Impeaching Trump: Part II
Yes, it was gratifying to see House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) literally speak truth to power for eight hours on Wednesday in defense of the beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Pelosi’s words were surely scorned by the soulless forces who control the GOP, but those who recognize the repugnance of […]
