In 1963, Sen. Barry Goldwater paid a visit to President John
Kennedy at the White House. Kennedy escorted him to the Oval Office
and said: "So you want this f---ing job?"
There are two lessons to be learned from that story. The first
is there actually was a time political rivals could have fun with
one another (Goldwater and Kennedy planned to travel together
during the 1964 campaign to hold debates). The second is, as the
writer Gore Vidal said: "Any American who is prepared to run for
president should automatically, by definition, be disqualified from
ever doing so."
As the country prepares for another change in leadership, we
offer a toast to the new president and the new year. We do so with
more than a little trepidation, knowing the new year and new
president are apt to bring surprises.
Was all the rhetoric about spreading the wealth, renegotiating
trade agreements, and creating new and expansive government
programs just campaign talk, or will we have to prepare to do
battle...
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