In researching my current project on the Aaron Burr Conspiracy of 1805-07, I found the following declaration by Mr. Burr, in a letter to his daughter. Of all races of animals, authors are the vainest, but the sensorium of vanity is in their offspring.  No eulogies of their works can be too gross or too…

Totally by accident, I discovered that C-SPAN 3 showed at 8 this evening the tape of my appearance before the National Constitution Center last month, concerning my book, Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln’s Legacy.  C-SPAN 3 does not seem to post much of a schedule ahead of time,…

I weighed in on whether Judge Jay Bybee of Nevada should be impeached for his authorship of the torture memoranda, and have unleashed some serious anger.  What do you think?

A bank investigation in New York has been mired in a dispute over federalism — the constitutional doctrine Americans invented but use only when convenient — all the way to the Supreme Court argument on Tuesday.  My lament for federalism in Huffington Post.

So, I’m at the Cincinnati History Museum (a semi-cool converted train station), researching the Aaron Burr conpsiracy of 1805-07, only to discover:   — It’s sleeting in Cincinnati, with the temperature in the 20s tonight; — The Reds lost their opening game this afternoon. — The archivist at the museum chewed me out for photocopying…

With the forced resignation of GM CEO Richard Wagoner, President Obama is channeling Ronald Reagan.  I bet it will work.  There’s a lot of nattering over the Wagoner putsch, Is this socialism?  Is Mr. Wagoner just a “sacrificial lamb“?  Why GM’s CEO and not AIG’s numero uno (Edward Liddy), who has certainly done nothing to…

Authors aren’t supposed to be too enthusiastic about used bookstores, since no royalties accrue on the sale of used volumes, but I am delighted to offer a preview of the opening on April 6 of a new used bookstore in Gaithersburg, sponsored by the Friends of the Library of Montgomery County.  The relevant parameters are:…

Much of New Jersey’s history — real and mythic — revolves around violence.  Yesterday I explored some of that tradition with the redoubtable Jim Clifford, attorney and history enthusiast extraordinaire.  Herewith, the story: We started at Boxwood Hall in Elizabeth, the home of Senator Jonathan Dayton, who compiled an enviable record of public service —…

The impeachment of Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois sharpened my curiosity:  How many other state chief executives have fallen afoul of the constitutional impeachment mechanism.  Most news stories claimed that Governor Rod, now gone but for the lingering scent emanating from the senator-who-should-never-have-been-seated (Roland Burris), was the eighth governor impeached and removed from office.  That,…

The case of Ali Saleh Kahlah Al-Marri will provide an early test of the extent to which President Obama is prepared to stand by the rule of law in the anti-terrorism battle.  Al-Marri, a legal resident alien, was arrested at his home in Peoria, Illinois, shortly after September 11.  Accused of being a “sleeper” Al…