Bush V. Gore 18 Years Later

18 years ago today, the Supreme Court ruled in Gore V. Bush, effectively naming George W. Bush the 43rd President of the United States. It was an extremely hard fought election, including five weeks of intense court battles. We may not have realized it at the time, but it was a beautiful day in American […]

George H.W. Bush Leaves a Sorrow That Has Nothing to Do With Politics

As a history teacher, people often ask me for my list of who I think the best Presidents were. My answers are pretty consistent with most people who study Presidents: Washington, Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harry Truman. However, if the question is phrased a little differently, “Who are your favorite Presidents?”, there are a few […]

George W. Bush, Bono, and the choice of light over darkness

One year ago a picture of Bono, lead singer of U2, and former President George W. Bush was taken at Bush’s Texas property. The picture was widely shared across the internet. People enjoyed the sight of a rock star and former President hanging out on a western ranch. As so often happens, most were missing […]

Former Presidents and Friends

Yesterday, we were treated to a wonderful picture of three of our former Presidents watching golf together. They were at the President’s cup in New Jersey, and seemed to be enjoying the company of each other. Usually when ex Presidents get together it is for a funeral, disaster relief, or something else of a serious […]

The Picture That Reminds Us of What We Could Be

One year ago today, September 24, 2016 the National Museum of African American History and Culture was opened. At it, a picture was taken that captured the hearts of America. Squarely in the middle of a heated and contentious election campaign, it showed an African American First Lady and former caucasian President sharing a tender […]

The President’s children: the last of the remaining “off limits”

70 years ago today, the daughter of President Harry S. Truman, Margaret, took the stage to sing in front of 20,000 people at the Hollywood Bowl. She was an attractive, popular young lady who was 23 years old. She had that backing of a 90 piece orchestra. It was her first performance in front […]