Historical and Legal Commentary
Slow-Motion Showdown
Has Congress forgotten how to stick up for itself? The face-off over the firing of United States Attorneys in 2006 was explosive at first. Was the Bush Administration injecting crude political criteria into law enforcement? High-level officials, including Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, resigned in the blowback. Sensing that the trail of wrongdoing led to the…
Read MoreTom Peters & Me
A few months back, after giving a couple of dozen book talks on The Summer of 1787, I developed a new one on the “Leadership Lessons of the Constitutional Convention.” I figured a new take on the writing of the Constitution would keep my presentations fresh. I also thought business and government groups might appreciate…
Read MoreOh, Those Vice Presidents, Part II
Only recently have I come to realize just what a ragged, sickly bunch our vice presidents have been. Today I review the most obvious scoundrels. Aaron Burr — After finishing in a dead heat with Thomas Jefferson in the 1800 election, Burr either did, or did not, treacherously angle for the top spot when the…
Read MoreOh, Those Vice Presidents
After the dust-up over whether John McCain can be president, even though he was born in the Canal Zone (see last post), a friend asked what the citizenship requirements are for the vice president? Aaron Burr, the killer Vice President Great question! There are none. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention did not come up…
Read MoreTop 10 U.S. Political Trials, Part II
We’re up to the top half of this top ten, which must (i) have had significant political effect on the nation, and (ii) have been an actual trial. 5. Sacco/Vanzetti: Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were convicted of shooting to death a paymaster and guard in the theft of a factory payroll in South Braintree,…
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