Mike, there is no doubt LBJ was a scoundrel. As a country, we've come to expect politicians to be nice guys, and we know so much today about their private lives, that a thorough scoundrel probably couldn't be nominated. We seem to have lost leaders who can get things done or even leaders who know what needs doing. I was struck with how gradually FDR nudged the country toward an understanding of why we had to confront Nazi Germany. I wonder if any politician today has his grasp of world affairs. I know none of them has his ability to convince us that our problems can be endured and overcome.

Bill Ferguson