Noonan on the Politics of Predecessors

Peggy Noonan writes in The Wall Street Journal: There is still a sense about Mr. Obama that he needs George W. Bush in order to give his presidency full shape and meaning. In this he is like Jimmy Carter, who needed Richard Nixon, or rather the Watergate scandal,...

Obama Channels Nixon on Energy

The energy issue has been around for decades, so it is very hard for a president to say anything new about it. President Obama’s Oval Office address on the Gulf oil spill is an example. Toward the end, he invoked images of American determination and ingenuity:...

Expletive Deleted

President Obama’s recent TV statement about kicking posterior led a number of journalists to muse about previous presidents who used bad language in the White House. Thanks to the tapes, of course, we know about RN’s unfortunate weakness for expletives....

Nixon, Brown, and the 1960 California Primary

Fifty years ago, a fellow named Brown was on the Democratic primary ballot in California. Governor Pat Brown, father of Jerry, was seeking to be his state’s favorite son at the party’s presidential nominating convention. Vice President Nixon was unopposed...

Campaign Staffs

Fifty years ago today, the New York Times reported: In a hotel suite almost as hard to find as Vice President Nixon when he wants to hide out, his campaign staff has bloomed into a highly personal organization for the 1960 Presidential campaign. The staff will shortly...