With so many events to bend into two hours, presidential biopics offer less chance to plumb the character of a President than do those films which focus on a specific conflict from their life. Critics faulted Amistad (1997) on both… Read More ›
Presidents 
Playing Presidents: Good History vs. Good Drama and the Actor JFK wanted to play Him
With the mini-series The Kennedys in the midst of its consecutive episodes this week, the controversy it has engendered begs for a reminder of what it is – and isn’t. Good history does not always make good drama, and good… Read More ›
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In…With Nixon?
In 1960, Vice President Richard Nixon was beaten by Senator John Kennedy by a thin margin for the Presidency. Barely recovered from the flu when they debated, Nixon’s television appearance in the debate contributed to his defeat. In 1962, having… Read More ›
Michelle Obama's Recent Legislation: A Legacy Begun March 15, 1912 by Nellie Taft
It was a grey dress. Enough said.More vital to the long-term interests of the nation than the clothes she wore one particular day this past December is the historic milestone Michelle Obama reached. That day, she joined President Barack Obama… Read More ›
The Inside on the Ex-President: Always Centered
Far too many readers assume history is a quaintly irrelevant retelling of wars or migrations or depressions, and far too many such books bear that out by forgetting that it is ultimately individual human beings who direct society’s fate. Among… Read More ›
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