Ad Astra (2019)

Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) is working on a communication tower that reaches to space when a power surge hits.  He falls from the tower and plummets earthward.  For a long time.  He's unconscious for part of the fall.  He wakes up in time to pull his chute.  Soon after the incident, he is called to a meeting where he learns that his father, Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones) - who has been missing for over 20 years when the Lima Project was assumed to have failed - may still be alive in orbit around Neptune.  As the power surges that are causing trouble on Earth originate from Neptune, Roy is the perfect person to establish contact with his father.  Roy soon catches a rocket to the moon and thence to Mars.  After several laser transmissions to the Lima Project station, there is a response.  Roy is not privy to the response.  Determined to reconnect with his father, Roy stows away on the ship that is dispatched.  Will he be able to stop his father or is he too emotionally involved?

The movie is slow paced.  Though there are several action scenes, the silence of space gives them an antiseptic feel.  A page was taken from The Expanse.  Roy is the coolest of customers, always calm and in control.  He saves the day repeatedly in high stress situations.  However, his emotionlessness gives him a detached quality.  His wife left him because he was never around, even when he was around.  Clearly, his absent father - who set out for Neptune when Roy was a teenager - has dramatically impacted him and also led him to follow his father's career path.  If not for Roy's narration, his character would have seemed distant indeed.

More of an interesting movie than an entertaining one.  Yes, the stakes are high and the journey is epic, but it plays like a meditation session that has the occasional break for exercise.

Just okay.

Arabesque (1966)

American Professor David Pollock (Gregory Peck) is teaching at Oxford when he is approached to translate a hieroglyph for Nejim Beshraavi.  He declines and continues on with his day.  Shortly thereafter, he is kidnapped!  Prime Minister Hassan Jena, a famous Middle Easterner, proves to be the kidnapper.  Pollock is positively predisposed to Jena and listens to his spiel.  Jena wants Pollock to accept the commission to translate and forward the results to him.  Pollock meets with Beshraavi (Alan Badel), a man who speaks with a polite pomposity but also an unmistakable undertone of threat.  Pollock has hardly begun to translate the hieroglyph than Yasmin Azir (Sophia Loren) intrudes.  She attempts to snatch the hieroglyph, but Pollock is quicker.  Soon, Pollock finds himself as a pawn in a game of international espionage.  He is unsure of whether he can trust Yasmin, but she's near irresistible.

The story is so-so and the villains mostly unimpressive.  One is seldom worried for Pollock's safety.  The villains' competence and intelligence rise or fall with the needs of the story.  Of course, everyone double-crosses everyone.  There are few loyalties, Yasmin being the least loyal of all, it would appear.  The climax doesn't make much sense.  Why kidnap Jena?  Why fly the helicopter under the bridge?  In retrospect, the plot doesn't work, but it was still fun to watch it unfold.

Gregory Peck does not quite get the role.  This was written for Cary Grant, and Peck doesn't fill those shoes.  The comedy doesn't come easily for Peck.  His drug-induced highway dance was more cringy than funny, his hangover was unconvincing, and his Eureka moment was out of character.  On the other hand, Sophia Loren is perfect for her part.  She can play the coquette, the conniver, and the femme fatale.  She also has no trouble with the comedy.  Her deadpan comment while in the shower was hilarious.

The cinematography is creative.  There are lots of shots where characters are seen in mirrors or reflected in windows, providing a split-screen effect.  There are some peculiar angles.  The oddest shot was when the characters were descending a spiral staircase but were largely obscured by an interposing crystal chandelier.  Donen was unhappy with the script but time constraints on the availability of Peck and Loren meant he had to start shooting.  As such, he tried to hide the script behind action and daring cinematography.

Good popcorn fun.

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

Johannes "Jojo" Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis) is a 10 year-old German boy who is proud to be in the Hitler Youth.  On this day, he is leaving for training.  The leader of the training camp is Captain Klenzendorf (Sam Rockwell), an experienced soldier who has been demoted to this menial task.  Jojo does not do as well as he hoped and is soon marked by the trainers for special attention.  They give him a live rabbit and demand he wring its neck.  He can't do it and is soon called Jojo Rabbit for his cowardice.  To try to reverse his fortunes, he grabs a grenade and throws it; he blows himself up.  Back home, he now has a scarred face and a bum leg.  His mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson), dotes on him.  Now spending a lot of time at home, Jojo discovers a Jewish girl hiding in the attic: Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie).  Though he naturally hates and fears her, he also realizes that her discovery would be dangerous to his mother.  To top off Jojo's problems, Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi) is his imaginary friend.  Whenever Jojo doesn't know what to do, Hitler is at his side to give horrible advice.

The movie is a funny and tragic story told in the last months of the war.  Jojo is a lovable kid who is just following the trends of his time and place.  That he eventually sees that such beliefs were wrong even given his youth makes for a good character arc.  The imaginary Hitler is mostly a goofball, an almost Monty Python-like version of him.  Sam Rockwell is a soldier but not a Nazi.  Rosie clearly does not approve of what has become of Germany and, much to Jojo's consternation, roots for the allies and an end to the war.

A surprisingly good film that is sometimes a knee-slapper, other times a tear-jerker, and overall good popcorn fun.  Highly recommended.

Secret of the Incas (1954)

Harry Steele (Charlton Heston) is a tour guide in Cusco, Peru.  He hangs out at the airport to spot likely marks for his tour.  However, it turns out that Harry is just biding his time, waiting for a private plane he can use to enact a heist.  When Elena (Nicole Maurey) arrives in Cusco, Harry's plans get underway.  Elena is a defector who wants to get to the United States.  The man pursuing her has a private plane!  Harry uses Elena as bait to get the plane then flies it to Machu Picchu.

Sometime before our story begins, Harry acquired a piece of rock that indicated where a golden treasure was hidden, but he needed a way to abscond with the loot once he dug it from its tomb.  That's the plane.  Now that he is at Machu Picchu, there are complications.  An archeologist, Stanley Moorehead (Robert Young), is excavating the very tomb that Harry planned to rob!  Worse still, Ed Morgan (Thomas Mitchell) has followed Harry from Cusco and intends to take a share of the loot, at gunpoint.  Can Harry get the golden starburst from the tomb and escape Machu Picchu with it?  Does he take Elena with him or leave her behind?

There are parts of this that felt like an Indiana Jones adventure.  Harry has a talent for languages, speaking both Spanish and Quechua.  He wears a leather jacket, khaki trousers, and a fedora, and he's armed with a revolver.  He plans to extract treasure from a tomb.  Then there is the presence of an archeologist and a reflecting light that shows where the treasure is hidden.  It looks a lot like both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg watched this movie and got some ideas.  Is it coincidence that Raiders of the Lost Ark opens in Peru?

On the other hand, the action is quite limited.  The location shooting is cool but most of the movie is clearly on sound stages.  Harry is not a particularly likable character.  Robert Young's part is so small as to be hardly worthwhile.  His love-at-first-sight routine with Elena is silly.  That a notable Peruvian singer - Yma Sumac - was cast meant that several opportunities for her to sing needed to be included.  Meh.

There is a great and exciting adventure to be had here but the execution is just so-so.

Not Criminal If the Government Does it

"When the president does it, that means that it is not illegal, by definition."

Richard Nixon

If Pablo Delgado the cartel coyote cuts razor wire along the US-Mexican border to allow illegal immigrants into the United States, that would be a crime.  Pablo would be subject to arrest and imprisonment.

If Greg Moss the fruit farmer cuts razor wire along the border and allows illegal immigrants into the country to pick strawberries, that would be a crime.  Greg would be subject to arrest and imprisonment.

If Officer Hernandez of the Customs and Border Patrol cuts razor wire along the border and allows illegal immigrants into the country, well that's just fine.  It's humanitarian and living up to our values.  Besides, Officer Hernandez is just following orders from President Biden.

The federal government has, for some inexplicable reason, decided to aid illegal immigration into the country.  The vast majority of Americans - around 67% - are opposed to this flood of immigration and yet the government is abetting the flow rather than stemming it.

Sometimes it is necessary for the government to govern against the will of the people, but when it does so, it needs to explain why.  It needs to lead and bring the people to understand the reasons why the unfavored course is correct.  President Biden has failed to do that.  His spokespeople have gaslit the American people by saying the border is secure and everything is fine.

Close the border or explain why floods of undocumented immigrants are a benefit.  Pick one.

Magnificent Doll (1946)

John Payne returns home from the Revolutionary War to find his wife and daughter (Ginger Rogers) hosting a party.  He is clearly not in a mood for a party.  He tells how his life was saved and how he promised the man that his daughter would marry the man's son.  Dolly Payne is upset by this arranged marriage but goes through with it.  She and John Todd (Stephen McNally) have a loveless marriage in Philadelphia.  They have a son.  Then, disaster strikes.  Yellow fever sweeps through Philadelphia, killing John and their son.  Dolly and her mother (Peggy Wood) must rent out rooms of their house to make a living.  Their first tenant is Senator Aaron Burr (David Niven), a handsome and charming man who arranges additional lodgers of high office.  He immediately begins to woo Dolly.  Soon after, James Madison (Burgess Meredith) takes a room and begins his own wooing of Dolly.

The story proposes a love triangle among Dolly, Aaron Burr, and James Madison.  Aaron is charming and exciting, taking her on country rides and out on adventurous excursions.  By contrast, James plays chess and convinces Dolly and her mother to host a party where politicking can happen.  Aaron is tall and handsome.  James is shy and cerebral.  It is hard to understand why Dolly would choose James until Aaron torpedoed himself by declaring his plans to overthrow the country and become dictator.  Sigh.  Though she has chosen, there is still more movie.  Now she uses her influence with Burr to get Jefferson the presidency in the contingent election of 1801.  During Burr's treason trial, Dolly once again arrives on scene and talks a lynch mob into sparing Burr's life.  Wow, she really is a Magnificent Doll!

Though it is true that Aaron Burr was a lodger of the Widow Payne and her daughter, Dolly Todd, he was not a competitor to James Madison.  In fact, Burr happily introduced Madison to Dolly.  A few months later, they were married.  The movie compressed the timeline and dumped some important facts.  First, Dolly had 2 sons from her first marriage, only one of which died in the yellow fever plague of 1793.  Burr is miffed that the party set him aside in favor of Jefferson for the 1796 election, which is not the case.  He was viewed as a strong running mate since Jefferson's strength was in the South while Burr was a New Yorker.  Dolly gets undue credit for Jefferson's win in 1801 contingent election by convincing Burr not to lobby his case in Washington.  Madison openly takes the blame for the failure of the Constitution, since he was its architect.  The movie takes all the ambiguity out of Burr's Conspiracy, making it a clearcut effort to make war on the United States.  Niven's Burr calls upon his troops to ambush American soldiers and only their universal desertion of him prevented it.  No, that's not how that went down.

Just okay.

Presidential States

If someone were to ask "Which president was born in Illinois?" most people would answer, "Abraham Lincoln."  Illinois is known as the Land of Lincoln, after all.  Wrong.  The correct answer is Ronald Reagan.  Often times, the state where the president rose to political prominence is not the state in which they were born.  Interestingly, some states have produced a lot more presidents than others.  With only 13 states in the beginning, the selection was limited, but even with 50, fewer than half have produced a president.

Virginia tops the list in producing presidents.  Eight presidents were born in this state: George Washington (1), Thomas Jefferson (3), James Madison (4), James Monroe (5), William Henry Harrison (9), John Tyler (10), Zachary Taylor (12), and Woodrow Wilson (28).  William Henry Harrison rose to prominence in the west - which was Indiana Territory - before being elected president.  Zachary Taylor's family moved to Kentucky in his childhood, but he spent his life along the frontiers in the Army.  Woodrow Wilson's political career was in New Jersey though he sympathized with the South.

Ohio is the second ranked state for presidents.  Seven presidents were born in Ohio: Ulysses S Grant (18), Rutherford B Hayes (19), James Garfield (20), Benjamin Harrison (23), William McKinley (25), William Howard Taft (27), and Warren G Harding (29).  Of particular note, every president elected from 1868 to 1900 was from Ohio, with the sole exception being Cleveland.

New York rounds out the top three for presidential birth states: Martin Van Buren (8), Millard Filmore (13), Theodore Roosevelt (26), Franklin Delano Roosevelt (32), and Donald Trump (45).  Each of these men made it there so they could make it anywhere.

Massachusetts is fourth with four: John Adams (2), John Quincy Adams (6), John F Kennedy (35), and George HW Bush (41) were born in the Bay State.  It looks like John is the name to have if you want to be president from here.  Seeing the John pattern, George moved to Texas and started his political career there.

North Carolina produced three presidents.  Probably.  Andrew Jackson (7) was born somewhere along the border of North Carolina and South Carolina, so perhaps North Carolina should only get a half credit for him.  James Knox Polk (11) and Andrew Johnson (17) were born in North Carolina.  It is noteworthy that all three of these men rose to prominence in Tennessee, two of them serving as governors of the state.

There is a 3-way tie next: Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Texas

Pennsylvania is the birthplace of both James Buchanan (15) and Joseph Biden (46).  Buchanan began politicking in the state and served as a Representative and a Senator from Pennsylvania before becoming Secretary of State for Polk.  Joseph Biden was born in the state but his family relocated to Delaware when he was 10.  His political career has ever since been tied to the First State.

Vermont may have been the birthplace, but neither made a name for himself as Bernie Sanders has.  Chester Arthur (21) was born in Vermont but rose to prominence in New York.  Calvin "Silent Cal" Coolidge (30) was also born in Vermont, but his political career is all Massachusetts.

Texas has produced two presidents, and one is not who you might think.  Dwight Eisenhower (34) was born in Texas but his family moved to Kansas when he was 2 years old.  Eisenhower considered himself to be a Kansan, not a Texan.  Lyndon Johnson (36) was elected to the House of Representatives in 1936 and became a senator in 1949.  He was Texas through and through.

The remaining states all produced only one president each.

New Hampshire: Franklin Pierce (14)

Kentucky: Abraham Lincoln (16) was born here but his family moved to Indiana while he was a boy.  He moved to the Land of Lincoln as an adult.

New Jersey: Grover Cleveland (22 & 24) was 13 when the family moved to New York, where he eventually entered politics.

Iowa: Herbert Hoover (31) was a mining engineer who earned several appointive offices during World War I and its aftermath.  His first elective office was the presidency.

Missouri: Harry Truman (33) is just the kind of man who would come from the Show Me State.

California: Richard Nixon (37)

Nebraska: Gerald Ford (38) was born in Omaha but relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan, as an infant.

Georgia: Jimmy Carter (39)

Illinois: Ronald Reagan (40) grew up in Illinois before moving to Iowa to do radio.  While on the road in California, he got an acting contract.  From Bedtime for Bonzo to California Governor and then the White House.

Arkansas: Bill Clinton (42)

Connecticut: George W Bush (43) moved to Texas as a boy, but was educated in New England.  After Yale and Harvard, he returned to Texas and eventually politics.

Hawaii: Barack Obama (44) was born in Hawaii?  Well, that's what the birth certificate shows.  :)

Just 20 states have produced the 45 presidents.  Of course, many of these had little to do with their state of birth, building careers elsewhere.  Both Lincoln and Obama should be counted for Illinois, the Bushes for Texas, Reagan for California, and so on.  I may just do that in another blog.

The Second American Civil War

The border between Mexico and Texas is not secure.  Rather than prevent foreigners from crossing into Texas, US Customs and Border Protection has been facilitating in crossing.  Whereas Texas has deployed measures to limit crossings, CBP has torn down those measures and assisted illegal entries.  The Supreme Court has ruled that the CBP can remove the barriers that Texas has erected.  In response, Texas has continued to raise barriers and sent the Texas National Guard to help secure the border.  Governor Abbott has accused President Biden of failing to carry out the laws against illegal entry and declared Texas to be under invasion.  The CBP numbers appear to confirm this:

Something changed dramatically in 2021.  Was it that Biden reversed most of President Trump's policies regarding the border?  The Obama years saw a gradual and consistent decline, but Biden has spiked like Al Gore's hockey stick.  Even mayors of Democrat-controlled cities have complained about the surge in illegal migrants.

Arizona tried to secure its border several years ago, passing laws that mirrored the national laws.  The Supreme Court nixed that, stating that international borders were the domain of the federal government.  Clearly, Governor Abbott wants to relitigate that view.  Several states have offered verbal support and Florida has offered material support to Texas.

That aside, the question is what will the Biden Administration do in response to Texas taking control of an international border?  If he allows Governor Abbott to secure the border against the administration's wishes, then other states will follow suit.  The federal government will effectively relinquish its role in border enforcement.  On the other hand, if the administration responds by forcibly taking over the border, that could result in armed conflict.  Welcome to Civil War II.  Maybe we are already in Civil War II, just waiting for the Fort Sumter incident that makes it official.

In 2022, there was a poll asking if there was an invasion along the southern border.  The responses were 53% true or somewhat true vs. 19% completely false.  The Biden Administration is on the wrong side of that poll.  Gee, could this explain Donald "Build the Wall" Trump's resurgence?  Yes, I think it does.

Ex-Presidents Who Ran Again

Generally speaking, when a president has left office, that has been the end of his political career.  Few men go on to seek lesser elective offices or pursue posts inferior to the presidency.  However, some have sought to resume the office of president after having left the job.

Martin Van Buren (1782-1862) had been the attorney general of New York, Governor of New York, a Senator from New York, the Secretary of State, the Vice President under Andrew Jackson, and finally President.  His term did not go well and he was voted out of office in 1840.  However, he sought the Democratic nomination in 1844, but lost to Polk.  In the 1848 election, a party split over the regulation of slavery in the territories led to the Free Soil Party.  The Free Soilers nominated Van Buren.  His running mate was Charles Francis Adams, son of President John Quincy Adams, and grandson of President John Adams.  Though he won 10% of the votes, Van Buren won no electoral votes.

Millard Filmore (1800-1874) had been a congressman and President Zachary Taylor's vice president.  When Taylor died in July 1850, Filmore became president.  Filmore was ambivalent about running for a term of his own in the 1852 election.  He was unpopular with Northern Whigs.  A backroom deal to get the nomination to either Daniel Webster or Filmore fell through, and Winfield Scott became the party nominee.  By 1856, the Whig Party was split by slavery, many migrating to the new Republican Party.  The American Party - better known as the Know Nothing Party - gathered other remnants of the Whigs.  The party nominated Filmore.  Filmore did better than Van Buren, winning 21.5% of the popular vote and 8 electoral votes.

Ulysses Grant (1822-1885) had left the White House after two terms.  However, in the wake of the Hayes Presidency, he sought a return to the presidency.  Many felt that this was a breech of Washington's two-term limit, which surely impacted later results.  In a convention fight, Grant was the lead candidate, but could not secure enough delegates for the nomination.  Eventually, the convention selected James Garfield for the nomination.

Grover Cleveland (1837-1908) had won the presidency in 1884, the first Democrat to do so since James Buchanan in 1856.  However, he was voted out in 1888.  Cleveland was determined to return to office.  In the 1892 campaign, he was his party's clear frontrunner, but only narrowly secured the nomination.  He then went on to win the election, becoming the first - and so far only - president to serve non-consecutive terms.  Cleveland did not seek re-election in 1896, perhaps because his party had disowned him for his stance on the gold standard.  He supported the National Democratic Party in 1896 but refused to be the party nominee; this was a splinter party that supported the gold standard.

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) had been a New York Assemblyman, New York City Police Commissioner, Governor of New York, Colonel in the Spanish-American War, and Vice President under William McKinley.  He became president on McKinley's assassination and was handily re-elected in 1904.  He selected William Howard Taft to succeed him in 1908.  Displeased with the Taft Administration, Roosevelt sought to win the Republican nomination.  That Taft's margin of victory at the convention came from Southern states that Republicans hadn't won since the 1870s irked Roosevelt.  He formed the Bullmoose Party and thus elected Woodrow Wilson.  Roosevelt won 27% of the popular vote and 88 electoral votes.  Taft won 23% of the vote and only 8 electoral votes.

Donald Trump (1946-) is the first man elected to the presidency who had been neither a politician or a soldier.  After a tumultuous presidency, he was defeated for re-election in one of the most troubled elections on record.  He claimed it was stolen.  He is currently the leading nominee for the Republican Party, having won both Iowa and New Hampshire thus far.  If successful, he will repeat Grover Cleveland's achievement.  Even if not elected, he will be the first ex-president to secure his party's nomination for another run and not win.

Clearly, most modern presidents learned from history that it was almost certainly a losing proposition.  Also, the 25th Amendment limited a president to 10 years, which would have nixed both Grant and Roosevelt's efforts.

Democrat Voters Support Haley

Donald Trump has won big in New Hampshire.  His margin of victory over his last remaining competitor, Nikki Haley, is 10% as of this writing.  However, that does mean that Haley has more then 40% of the vote, which is substantial.  She views this as an invitation to continue her campaign to South Carolina, the state where she was governor for two terms.  There is a problem with Haley's support in New Hampshire though.  As an open primary, she received 73% of her support from independent voters and only 27% from registered Republicans.  Of her 130,000 votes, only around 30,000 are Republicans.  CNN even aired an interview with a Democrat who voted for Haley in the primary with the goal of weakening Trump.  The majority of her support was from people who don't identify as Republican!  This is why primaries should be closed.  Why let the other party pick your nominee or sabotage your nomination process?

Of course, both parties do it.  The most famous example of this by Republicans was when Rush Limbaugh called upon his listeners to vote for Hillary in the 2008 Democratic primaries.  As McCain had sown up the Republican nomination before Obama had secured the Democratic one, the opportunity was there.  Rush called it Operation Chaos.

But it goes back much further.  When I was a senior in high school (1985), my civics teacher explained to the class how he regularly changed his party registration in order to pick weaker candidates from the other party.  Even if we had a closed primary, this method would overcome it.  Still, I like this one the best.  How many voters are going to regularly change registration compared to just voting in an open primary?  Yeah, closed primaries would mostly resolve the issue.

Members of the party should be selecting their nominee, not members of the opposition party.

Reacher (season 2)

After beating a carjacker to a pulp, Reacher (Alan Ritchson) gets a message from Frances Neagley (Maria Sten) that one of their former comrades has been murdered.  Reacher heads to New York immediately.  Upon rendezvousing with Neagley, he learns that she has been unable to contact most of the Special Investigators, the Army unit that Reacher commanded, and she served in.  Only 2 of 6 members respond to efforts to contact them.  Visiting the homes of others provide stories of mysterious disappearances.  The history of the Special Investigators is told in flashback throughout the series, offering insight into the members who have been killed already.  In addition to Neagley, Karla Dixon (Serinda Swan) and David O'Donnell (Shaun Sipos) join Reacher to discover who is out to get the Special Investigators.  Is it blowback from their time in the military?  No sooner do they begin investigating the deaths than assassins arrive to kill them.

Alan Ritchson is once again terrific as Reacher.  He is particularly coldblooded when facing those who killed his former colleagues.  While Maria Sten was a late arrival in the first season, she is a main character and Reacher's righthand.  Serinda Swan's Karla takes over as love interest for the absent Roscoe.  Reacher never hooked up with her back in the day because he was her commanding officer; she points out that things have changed.  Shaun Sipos' O'Donnell is a womanizer in the flashbacks but a devoted family man in the present.  It is interesting that he is the only one who has settled down.

Robert Patrick plays the villain.  He is introduced with a humorous bit where he learns that Neagley used the alias of Sarah Connor.  Nice call back to Terminator 2.  Patrick is the final boss who sends wave after wave of assassins to kill Reacher and his meddlesome crew.

Another outstanding season of Reacher and I can hardly wait to see what happens next season.  Good popcorn fun and highly recommended.

Only Living President

As of this writing, there is one sitting president and 5 ex-presidents: President Biden, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter.  There have never been more than 5 living ex-presidents.  One supposes that after George Washington, the following presidents always had a predecessor enjoying his retirement.  In fact, no.  Several presidents have been the only living president during their presidency.

George Washington (1789-1797): As the first president, Washington had no predecessors to consult in the difficult times.  It was up to him to establish how Article 2 of the Constitution would work.  For nearly 8 years, he was the only living president.

John Adams (1797-1801): Having been Washington's VP, Adams knew his predecessor fairly well.  He even called upon Washington to lead an army during the Whiskey Rebellion.  However, Washington died in December 1799, leaving John Adams as the only living president.  He did not win re-election the following year, so his tenure as the only living president was only 1 year and 4 months.

Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877): When Grant began his presidency in March 1869, there were 3 ex-presidents: Millard Filmore, Franklin Pierce, and Andrew Johnson.  Pierce died in October 1869, Filmore in January 1874, and Johnson on July 31, 1875.  For the next year and 8 months, Grant was the only living president.

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909): Theodore took office upon the assassination of McKinley.  At that time, only 1 previous president was still living: Grover Cleveland.  When Cleveland died on June 24, 1908, Roosevelt was the only living president.  Eight months later, Roosevelt left office.

Herbert Hoover (1929-1933): When Hoover came to office, former President Taft was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and Calvin Coolidge retired to Massachusetts.  Taft died in 1930 and Coolidge died on January 5, 1933.  Hoover was the only living president for 2 months.

Richard Nixon (1969-1974): Nixon took office when there were 3 living former presidents.  Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson.  Eisenhower died a couple of months after Nixon was inaugurated in 1969.  Truman died in December 1972 and Johnson died a month later, January 22, 1973.  Richard Nixon was the only living president for the next 18 months, at which time he resigned.

Since 1981, there have been 3 to 5 living former presidents.

Jeeves and Wooster

Bertram "Bertie" Wooster (Hugh Laurie) stands perplexed and speechless in a courtroom as the judge condemns his recent antics: he stole a policeman's helmet.  He pays his fine and returns to his untidy apartment where, still dressed, he collapses into his bed.  Seemingly only moments later, the doorbell rings.  All efforts to ignore it fail and he finally answers to find Jeeves (Stephen Fry) standing there.  "I've been sent by the agency."  Still speechless, Bertie stands mute as Jeeves glides through the apartment, leaving tidiness in his wake.  Jeeves mixes his own personal concoction that, when Bertie drinks it, brings back his capacity to speak!  "I say!  You're engaged!"  And so begins a most entertaining series based on the stories of PG Wodehouse.

Bertie Wooster is a member of the idle rich in late 20s to early 30s England.  He belongs to the Drones Club where many of his old school chums wile away their time with drinking and silly games.  Each of them have peculiar names: Tuppy Glossop, Gussie Fink Nottle, Barmy Fotheringay Phipps, Bingo Little, and the like.  Bertie's most pressing problem is usually avoiding marriage to any number of women that his Aunt Agatha or Aunt Dahlia send his way.  His clever ploys to avoid these engagements invariably fail miserably - and humorously - which requires Jeeves to save the day.  Certain themes are repeated, eventually to the point of failing to be funny anymore by the 4th series.  Notably, Bertie is the 2nd choice for groom to several women and thus he finds that he must mend broken engagements to avoid his own undesired engagement.  As a price to mend relationships, Bertie is often blackmailed into committing theft: a painting, a book, a statue, a string of pearls, and such.  Again and again, Jeeves arrives to save the day when such thefts go wrong.

Where Bertie is a lovable bumpkin, a happy-go-lucky and amiable playboy, Jeeves is a walking encyclopedia who seems to know countless random facts on any given subject.  Also, through his connections among the valet community, he knows a great deal about the upper-class families with whom Bertie interacts.  Bertie has an avant garde view toward fashion, which frequently irks the more staid Jeeves.  In these cases, Jeeves often suggests that Wooster expunge such items from the wardrobe in exchange for help in the current crisis.

All in all, a great series and worth watching.  Great popcorn fun.  Highly recommended.

Sherlock: A Case of Evil (2002)

The movie opens with Holmes (James D'Arcy) chasing two men at night through the streets of London.  One turns to fight Holmes but is cut down in swordplay in a flash.  Now, it is one on one: Holmes vs. Moriarty (Vincent D'Onofrio).  Holmes proves the better swordsman and the wounded Moriarty continues running.  Holmes corners him and the fight continues until Holmes deftly disarms the villain.  Unwilling to be taken alive, Moriarty draws a revolver.  Holmes quickdraws his own revolver and shoots Moriarty in the chest.  Moriarty falls into an open sewer.  His body is not recovered.

Holmes is celebrated in the press for having killed the notorious Moriarty and is soon contracted for an interesting case.  Many drug sellers have been murdered.  Holmes goes to the morgue where the latest victim is being autopsied by Dr. Watson (Roger Morlidge).  Holmes and Watson do not get on well initially, but Watson soon sees that Holmes does indeed have a keen mind.  The pair are soon on the case of a "serial killer" (the show does use that term though it is many decades away from being coined).  Holmes solves the case but something doesn't feel right.  After meeting with his brother Mycroft (Richard E. Grant), Holmes realizes that Moriarty faked his death.  Yes, it is Moriarty who is arranging to have a monopoly on the London drug trade.

D'Arcy is a very different Holmes.  He proves to be a womanizer during the Victorian Era.  He beds 4 women during the movie, 2 of them at the same time when he was on a drunken bender.  He falls in love with an actress who is not named Irene Adler.  No, this one is Rebecca Doyle (Gabrielle Anwar) and she had been Moriarty's honey pot in the first act.  Rather than coldly rational, D'Arcy's Holmes is an emotional child who takes offense that others don't immediately recognize his genius.  Most of his deductions are just parlor tricks, a way to woo the ladies.  He does far too much running.

Morlidge is a combination of Watson and James Bond's Q.  In addition to being Scotland Yard's medical examiner, Watson has a side hustle as an inventor.  He provides Holmes with a one-shot cane that fires a .45 caliber round.  Morlidge is more in keeping with Watson than D'Arcy is with Holmes.

Vincent D'Onofrio starts strong and then fades.  Despite outsmarting Holmes in the first act by faking his death, he just can't stay dead.  No, he wants the notoriety.  His genius fades according to the needs of the plot.  In the final act, he fails to account for Watson and then, when forced to flee, chose to go to Big Ben and climb to the top.  Really?  What a surprise when he crashes through one of the clock faces and plunges to his 'death' in the Thames.

Much like Christopher Plummer in Murder by Decree, this isn't Sherlock Holmes but some imposter using his name.  Skip.

Too Many First Ladies?

Though we often call Martha Washington the 1st First Lady of the United States, the term First Lady didn't come into popular use until after the Civil War.  Even then, it wasn't common.  It graduated to common use in the 1930s.  Though we have had 45 presidents, we have somehow had 53 First Ladies.  As it happened, four presidents had a change of First Lady during their presidency.  Two presidents had 3 each!

Andrew Jackson (1829-1837) had the great misfortune to become a widower while he was president-elect.  Rachel Donelson Jackson died in December 1828.

1. Emily Donelson was the daughter of Rachel's brother, making her Jackson's niece.  Her husband, Andrew Jackson Donelson, served as President Jackson's private secretary through most of his presidency.  Suffering tuberculosis, Emily left Washington.  She died from it 1836 at the age of 29.

2. Sarah Yorke Jackson was the wife of Jackson's adopted son, Andrew Jackson, Jr.  She performed hostess duties alongside Emily for a time before taking on the role entirely when Emily left for Tennessee.

William Henry Harrison (1841) died after one month in office but, amazingly, had two first ladies.  Sort of.

1. Anna Harrison was 65 years old, in poor health, and did not want to travel to Washington during the winter.  She would travel later.  However, in the meantime, the White House needed a hostess.

2. Jane Harrison was President Harrison's daughter-in-law, having married his son, William Henry Harrison, Jr.  She accepted the role of White House hostess until Anna should arrive.  Since Harrison died only 1 month later, she only hosted 2 events.

John Tyler (1841-1845) became president upon Harrison's death and his wife was officially First Lady.

1. Letitia Tyler had suffered a stroke in 1839 that left her in a wheelchair.  She was not able to perform the duties of a White House hostess.  She suffered another stroke while living at the White House and died in September 1842.  She was only 51.

2. Priscilla Tyler was the wife of President Tyler's son, Robert Tyler.  She had been the acting First Lady since Tyler had assumed the presidency.  She remained in the role until replaced by Julia Tyler.

3. Julia Gardiner Tyler was the daughter of a New York Senator.  Tyler had begun courting her despite a 30-year age gap.  She had declined his proposals.  However, during a trip on the USS Princeton, a new steam frigate, one of the canons exploded during a test fire.  Julia's father was killed in the blast and President Tyler carried her off the ship.  She married him soon after and became First Lady for the remainder of Tyler's presidency.

Grover Cleveland (1885-1889, 1893-1897) was elected as a bachelor.

1. Rose Cleveland was President Cleveland's sister.  She was a scholar by nature but accepted the position nonetheless.  She found the job boring and was only too happy to pass it on to Frances.

2. Frances Cleveland was not yet 22 years old when she married President Cleveland in 1886.  She took on the role of First Lady for the remainder of Cleveland's first term and all of his non-consecutive second term.

Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893) was the grandson of William Henry Harrison.  He arrived in the White House with a wife, children, grandchildren, father-in-law, sister-in-law, and more.

1. Caroline Harrison was more concerned with domestic family issues than playing hostess for White House events.  She often delegated these duties to relatives.  She developed tuberculosis and died in October 1892.

2. Mary Harrison McKee was President Harrison's daughter.  When her mother died, she took on the role of First Lady.  As President Harrison lost re-election the following month, Mary only filled the role for 4 months before Frances Cleveland returned.

Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) had been married for 27 years when he was elected.

1. Ellen Wilson had been First Lady of New Jersey one day and First Lady of the United States the next.  She suffered from Bright's Disease and died in August 1914.  During her time as First Lady, she arranged weddings for 2 of her daughters in the White House.

2. Margaret Wilson was President Wilson's eldest daughter.  She took over White House hostess duties after her mother's death.

3. Edith Wilson married President Wilson on December 18, 1915.  This was the 3rd, and most recent, time a president married while in office.  Edith Wilson exerted more control than most First Ladies on account of President Wilson suffering a stroke in October 1919.

Most First Ladies have been the president's wife, but the post has also been filled by sisters, daughters and nieces.

New Hampshire Primary Folly

It turns out that New Hampshire is an open primary, meaning anyone can vote.  So?  Well, since there is no primary to determine who will be the Democrat nominee, all those Democrat voters can flood the Republican primary and select Joe Biden's opponent.  This was why there used to be conventions.  The party would assemble and look at the various candidates and vote on who they thought was most likely to win.  Everyone was for the party.  In the case of New Hampshire, a large chunk of the voters will be committing sabotage.  Let Republican voters select the Republican candidate and Democrat voters select the Democrat candidate.  Primaries should not be open.

Iowa Caucus 2024

Donald Trump has won 98 of 99 counties in Iowa, garnering a majority (51%) of the votes.  The one county that he did lose, Johnson County, he lost to Nikki Haley by 1 vote.  It should be noted that many Democrats participated in the caucus by changing their voter registration on the day of the caucus.  Such voters invariably chose Haley.  Though Haley won a county, DeSantis was second with 21% of the votes, Haley was 3rd with 19%, and Ramaswamy - my favored candidate - was last with 8% of the vote.  Ramaswamy suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump.

With Ramaswamy out of the race, that leaves three going into New Hampshire.  Haley is expecting a strong showing and has already announced it is a two-person race after Iowa.  In fact, polling in New Hampshire indicates Trump will win with 40% of the vote and Haley will have a strong showing around 30%.  If that holds, Haley will hope for an upset in her home state of South Carolina.  If Trump wins both New Hampshire and South Carolina, the campaign is over.

Will it be Trump v. Biden again?  If so, I would expect Reagan's question: "Are you better off today than you were four years ago?"

Hawmps! (1976)

Lt. Howard Clemmons (James Hampton) is dispatched from Washington DC to test the viability of camels in the American West.  To his great surprise, Sgt. Tibbs (Christopher Connelly) greets him as a hero upon his arrival at Camp Val Verde.  Tibbs was told that his men would be getting 'Arabians.'  Clemmons can't bring himself to explain that it is Arabian camels, not horses.  Unsurprisingly, the men are most disappointed when camels arrive.  With the help of Hi Jolly (Gino Conforti), a Middle Eastern camel expert, the men learn to ride and handle camels.  However, Colonel Hawkins (Denver Pyle) views the experiment as an embarrassment to his command and is determined to see it canceled.  Clemmons suggests a race between his camels and Sgt. Tucker's (Slim Pickens) horse soldiers.  Hawkins accepts and the race is on.  Can the camels outpace the horses in the western deserts?

This family comedy western is confused on the history.  It proposes that the action takes place during the Presidency of Millard Filmore (1850-53), when Jefferson Davis was Secretary of War (1853-1857), and Abraham Lincoln was just a Congressman (1847-1849).  In fact, the first batch of camels arrived in Texas in May 1856.  Hi Jolly - an Americanized Hadji Ali - was the chief cameleer and is the only historical figure to be included in the movie.  As for the race, there was in fact a test in which a team 18 mules with wagons and a team of 6 camels were sent to deliver supplies.  The camels easily outperformed the mules by a factor of 2.

The movie is very campy and family friendly.  I recall seeing it as a kid and enjoying it.  It is far less enjoyable now, having scantly any story and mostly just a series of excuses for slapstick humor.  Mediocre.  Skip.

Presidential Tenure: Less than 1 Term

Eleven presidents served less than 4 years.  Unsurprisingly, this is mostly a case of the president's death in office and the vice president serving the remainder of the term.

William Henry Harrison (1841) started his career as a military man, mostly fighting Indians along the frontiers of early America.  His most famous battle was Tippecanoe, which became part of his campaign slogan: "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too."  Prior to the presidency, he had been governor of Indiana, a Senator from Ohio, and a Representative in the House.  The first Whig to win the presidency, he gave a 2 hour inaugural address on a cold and wet day.  A month later, he died of pneumonia.  He was 68, the oldest president to that time.

John Tyler (1841-1845) was a Virginian who had been governor, senator, and representative for his state.  He had only been vice president for a month before being elevated to "Acting President."  Tyler decisively announced that he was "President" and moved into the White House.  Thus, he set the precedent that was not codified until the 25th Amendment in 1967.  Not nominated for re-election, Tyler watched the campaign between Polk and Clay.  When Polk won, Tyler pushed for Texas Annexation.  Of interest, Tyler has a living grandson!  Harrison Ruffin Tyler, who is 95 as of this writing.

Zachary Taylor (1849-1850) had spent his career in the military, mostly fighting Indians along the American frontiers.  He earned the name "Rough and Ready" during the Second Seminole War.  His victories during the Mexican American War (1846-1848) brought him to the attention of the Whig Party.  He won the nomination and defeated Lewis Cass and Martin Van Buren in the 1848 election.  He died of cholera in July 1850.

Millard Filmore (1850-1853) had been a congressman and New York Comptroller before his election as vice president.  He took over after Taylor's death.  He swept away Taylor's cabinet, much to their surprise.  He sent Commodore Perry to Japan but left office before Perry arrived.  He was not popular within his party and was not tapped for the 1852 election; General Winfield Scott was chosen instead.  In 1856, he ran for president as a third-party candidate, winning only the state of Maryland.

Andrew Johnson (1865-1869) had been governor of Tennessee, a senator, and a congressman before he became Lincoln's second vice president.  Assuming the presidency on Lincoln's death, Johnson was soon at odds with the Radical Republicans.  He became the first president to be impeached.  In 1868, Johnson sought the Democratic nomination but lost out to Horatio Seymour.

James Garfield (1881) had been a major general during the Civil War and a congressman from Ohio afterwards.  He had only been president for 4 months when a disappointed office-seeker shot him twice.  He lingered for 2 and a half months before dying.

Chester Arthur (1881-1885) had a variety of appointive political offices in New York prior to become vice president.  He had been fired by President Hayes, who planned to reform the patronage system.  Interestingly, Arthur embraced civil service reform as president.  Though he considered running for re-election, his poor health and diffident party argued against it.  He congratulated the Republican nominee, James G. Blaine, who would lose to Grover Cleveland in 1884.  

Warren Harding (1921-1923) was a newspaper man who turned to politics.  Elected in 1920 to return the country to 'Normalcy' after the war, he cut taxes, called for disarmament, limited immigration, and pushed anti-lynching legislation.  Soon after his death in July 1923, a variety of scandals arose to tarnish the otherwise popular president, most notably Teapot Dome and his adulterous affairs.

John F Kennedy (1961-1963) had been a Navy lieutenant during WWII, a representative in the House, and a Senator before being elected president.  Though brief, his presidency was eventful.  Cuba figured prominently with both the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis.  He escalated US involvement in Vietnam.  He called for the US to land on the moon, called upon Americans to ask what they could do for their country, cut taxes, and appointed Thurgood Marshall to the US Court of Appeals.  Like Harding, adulterous affairs were exposed after his death.

Gerald Ford (1974-1977) is the only man to serve as President who was not elected.  He was confirmed by the Senate to replace Spiro Agnew, who had resigned.  He then ascended to the presidency upon Nixon's resignation.  Ford had been a congressman who served on the Warren Commission to investigate JFK's assassination.  The uneasy peace in Vietnam collapsed and Ford was unable to muster support for South Vietnam, resulting in the communist takeover.  Ford pardoned Nixon, which he said was to end the tragedy.  This did not play well for his re-election.

Joseph Biden (2021-present) is the current president and still has about a year to go in his first term.  Prior to being elected president, he had served in the Senate (36 years) and as President Obama's VP (8 years).  Biden's has been an eventful presidency both domestically and internationally.  Ukraine and Middle East wars, withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years, saber rattling in China, and waves of illegal immigrants across the southern border have been the headlines.  His son, Hunter, has been a constant source of scandal.  The conclusion of the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, infrastructure & climate concerns have been the domestic concerns.  As it stands, Biden polls quite low.  At 81, he is the oldest man to be president.

Presidential Tenure: One Term

13 Presidents served exactly one term.  They won election and then, in most cases, the electorate decided they weren't worth having.  However, a few of them had promised to serve only one term and kept that promise.

John Adams (1797-1801) served as the first vice president and then became the 2nd President.  His presidency tested the limits of government.  The Sedition Act challenged the 1st Amendment, arguably undermining it.  He waged a Quasi War with France.  His vice president, Thomas Jefferson, was the leader of the opposition party!  He was the first president to reside in Washington DC.  He sought re-election in 1800, but Jefferson won.

John Quincy Adams (1825-1829) was the son of John Adams.  He had served as Secretary of State for James Monroe.  The 1824 election resulted in no clear winner though Andrew Jackson had won a plurality of the votes.  Henry Clay, the fourth-place candidate, called upon his followers to support Adams.  Adams was thus chosen by the House of Representatives.  No sooner was he in office than he selected Henry Clay as his Secretary of State.  "Corrupt bargain!" Jackson cried!  Adams presidency was unremarkable and he was trounced by Andrew Jackson in the 1828 election.  Where most presidents vanished into retirement after their term, Adams was elected to the House and served there for the remainder of his life (1830-1848).

Martin Van Buren (1837-1841) had governor of New York, Secretary of state, and vice president before he was elected president.  Selected as Jackson's successor, Van Buren was soon assailed by the Panic of 1837, variety of conflicts with Canada (Aroostook War, Caroline Affair, Patriot War), the continuing Indian Removal policy begun by Jackson, and Texas.  Though the party nominated him for re-election, he was crushed by the Whig Party candidate, William Henry Harrison.  Van Buren sought re-election in 1844, but could not secure the nomination.  He tried one last time in 1848, running as a third party candidate.

James Knox Polk (1845-1849) is the only president to have also served as Speaker of the House.  He was a favorite of Andrew Jackson, earning the nickname of Young Hickory.  He was a dark horse candidate for the presidency and only barely won against the perennial Whig candidate, Henry Clay.  Unlike most presidents, Polk announced his intention to serve only 1 term and he did not seek re-election.  He had four goals for his presidency: tariff reduction, an independent treasury, resolution of the Oregon boundary, and the acquisition of California.  He accomplished all four.  He dared war with Great Britain on the Oregon issue and fought an unpopular war with Mexico regarding Texas and California.  Keeping his word, he did not run for re-election and retired to his Tennessee home.  He died only 3 months after leaving the White House at the age of 53.

Franklin Pierce (1853-1857) had been a New Hampshire state politician who later served in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.  During the Mexican War, he led volunteers as a brigadier general.  Oddly, he defeated his commanding officer, General Winfield Scott, for the presidency in 1852.  During his presidency, he oversaw the Gadsden Purchase, overturned the Missouri Compromise (thus triggering Bleeding Kansas), tried to buy Cuba, and declared the abolition movement to be a threat to the union.  He was so unpopular that his party would not nominate him for re-election in 1856.  They chose James Buchanan instead

James Buchanan (1857-1861) was one of the most experienced men to ever serve as president.  He had been minister to the United Kingdom, minister to Russia, Secretary of State, a Senator, and a House Representative.  Days after his inauguration, the Supreme Court announced the Dredd Scott decision.  Kansas was still bleeding, the Utah War with the Mormons threatened westward migration, and finally states seceded from the Union.  Buchanan was uniquely suited to be a foreign policy president but the country was a domestic catastrophe.  Like Polk, Buchanan promised to serve only one term and did not seek re-election.  Unlike Polk, he did not have a record of accomplishments.

Rutherford Hayes (1877-1881) had been governor of Ohio, a congressman, and a major general during the Civil War.  Samuel Tilden had won the popular vote in 1876 and it required the Compromise of 1877 to get Hayes named president.  As a result, Reconstruction came to an end.  Of note, the White House did not serve alcohol while he was president, making him a favorite of the temperance movement.  Like Polk and Buchanan, Hayes did not seek re-election, having promised to serve only one term.

Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893) was the grandson of President William Henry Harrison (1841).  He had served as a Senator from Indiana and was a brigadier general during the Civil War.  His presidency saw the passage of the Sherman Antitrust Act, which would eventually be wielded like a big stick by Theodore Roosevelt.  He did not prove to be more popular than his predecessor, Grover Cleveland, so the country re-elected Cleveland in 1892.

William Howard Taft (1909-1913) had been Secretary of War for Theodore Roosevelt and was Teddy's chosen successor.  A lawyer at heart, Taft differed from Roosevelt on a variety of issues.  In 1912, Taft found himself in a nomination fight with Roosevelt, which Taft won.  Roosevelt then ran as a third-party candidate.  Splitting the Republican vote, Roosevelt and Taft handed the presidency to Woodrow Wilson.  Taft went on to become the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, a job for which he was much better suited.

Herbert Hoover (1929-1933) had served as Secretary of Commerce for Presidents Harding and Coolidge before being elected to the presidency.  He had the great misfortune to be in office for the Stock Market Crash of 1929.  Being an engineer, Hoover sought to fix the economy by pouring money into the economy.  Where most economic downturns only lasted a year or two, Hoover managed to drag this one out to the next election, which he lost in a landslide.  Oddly enough, FDR continued Hoover's policies and expanded them.

James Earl "Jimmy" Carter (1977-1981) had been governor of Georgia, a peanut farmer, and a submariner in the Navy.  Despite having both a Democratic House and Senate, Carter didn't get along with the legislative branch.  The economy was troubled, inflation was high, and energy was such that he suggested everyone wear a sweater.  Internationally, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan with little response from the US and Iran stormed the US Embassy and took Americans hostage.  Carter was crushed in his re-election bid.

George Bush (1989-1993) had a lot in common with James Buchanan; his resume was suited for foreign policy.  In that regard, he proved successful.  The Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Gulf War was a success that pushed Saddam out of Kuwait, Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega was deposed, and NAFTA was passed.  However, a downturn in the economy and his inability to relate to average folks led to his defeat in 1992.

Donald Trump (2017-2021) was the first president to have neither served in government nor the military.  A successful businessman with tremendous name recognition, Trump was able to persuade the voters that he was the best choice.  His presidency started under a cloud when the Steele Dossier came to light before his inauguration.  This cloud hamstrung his efforts to get anything done through legislation.  However, he cut taxes, built part of the wall he campaigned for, renegotiated NAFTA, and facilitated the Abraham Accords.  He was also impeached twice, a record unlikely to be matched anytime soon.  He lost re-election, though he claimed it was stolen.  He is currently seeking to repeat Grover Cleveland's feat of non-consecutive terms.

Presidential Tenure: More than 1, Less than 2

Seven presidents have served more than one term but less than two.  In all but one case, this was on account of the death of the president.

Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865) had served 2 years as a congressman and failed to win a seat in the Senate before being nominated for the presidency.  His presidency is entirely defined by the Civil War.  South Carolina seceded before Lincoln's first inauguration and Lincoln was assassinated only days after General Lee surrendered at Appomattox.  Viewed as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, presidents, he served 4 years and 6 weeks.

William McKinley (1897-1901) was the last Civil War veteran to serve as President.  McKinley's presidency saw the US rise on the world stage.  The Cuba Crisis led to the Spanish-American War.  Troubles in Hawaii saw the US annexing the small island nation.  Acquisition of parts of the Spanish Empire saw the US fighting the Philipine Insurrection.  He won re-election in 1900 but was assassinated in September of that year, serving 4 years and 6 months.

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) took over in the wake of McKinley's assassination.  In addition to the vice presidency, Roosevelt had already served as Governor of New York, an Army Colonel during the recent war, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, New York City police commissioner, and more.  Almost manic in his activity level, Roosevelt tackled a wide variety of issues.  He embraced America's role on the world stage, speaking softly and carrying a big stick.  Despite a reputation as a jingoistic warmonger, he was the first president to win the Nobel Peace Prize.  He proved a very popular president and easily won re-election in 1904.  Thus, he served 7 1/2 years as president.

Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929) had a long career in government, serving as governor, lt. governor, state senator, mayor, and state representative before becoming Warren Harding's vice president.  When Harding died in office, Coolidge became president.  He won a landslide victory for re-election in 1924.  Though still popular at the end of his term, he thought it would be inappropriate for a president to serve for 10 years and declined to run again in 1928.  He was the most laconic president, widely known as Silent Cal.  He served for 5 years and seven months.

Harry Truman (1945-1953) had been a senator from Missouri when he was tapped to be FDR's 3rd vice president.  When FDR died 1 month into his 4th term, Truman took the helm of a country at war.  He approved the dropping of the atom bomb on Japan, oversaw the Berlin Airlift, recognized Israel, integrated the military, and was president when both the Cold War and the Korean War began.  Truman was plainspoken and noted for his 'buck stops here' attitude.  He served 7 years and 11 months.

Lyndon Baines Johnson (1963-1969) was the majority leader in the Senate before he became JFK's vice president.  Taking over after JFK's assassination, he oversaw the Great Society and the escalation of the Vietnam War.  He won an overwhelming re-election in 1964, but domestic strife and an increasingly unpopular war convinced him not to run again in 1968.  He served 5 years and 2 months.

Richard Nixon (1969-1974) had been a member of the House, a Senator, and Eisenhower's vice president.  He had a failed run for the presidency in 1960 and for governor of California in 1962.  It looked like his career was over.  It was not.  Nixon won the presidency in 1968.  Every moon landing took place during his first term (1969 to 1973).  He oversaw the drawdown of the Vietnam War, opening of China, SALT treaty with the USSR, and a dramatic expansion of the executive branch.  He was re-elected in a landslide in 1972.  However, the Watergate break-in during the campaign derailed his second term.  He was forced to resign and Gerald Ford assumed the presidency.  This is the only case where a president resigned from office.  He served 5 years and 7 months.

Lincoln, McKinley, and Nixon are presidents who won re-election and didn't get to complete their second term.  Roosevelt, Coolidge, Truman, and Johnson were vice presidents thrust into the presidency and then proved to the country that they were the right men for the job, thus winning election on their own merits.

Presidential Tenure: Two Terms

There have been 45 presidents.  Of them, only 13 have served two full terms (or more, in one case).  Each was elected and then re-elected.  A few of them are unusual.

George Washington (1789-1797) served less than 8 years but is still a two-term president.  He was not inaugurated until April 30, 1789, which means his first term was less than 4 years.  Though he has the shortest presidency of the two-termers, his established a lot of precedents, including the informal two-term limit.

Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) had been Washington's secretary of state and Adams' vice president.  As the 3rd president, he made the Louisianna Purchase and dispatched Lewis & Clark to explore it.  It was during his presidency that the Marines went "to the shores of Tripoli" in the Barbary War.  He also established the United State Military Academy at West Point.

James Madison (1809-1817) had been Jefferson's secretary of state.  His presidency was dominated by the War of 1812, which gave us the National Anthem, Andrew Jackson's victory at New Orleans, and the White House (prior to being burned by the British, it had been the Presidential Mansion).  As the war was unpopular and started with a lot of US losses, Madison's re-election was the least enthusiastic of the two-termers at that time.

James Monroe (1817-1825) had been Madison's secretary of state before winning the presidency.  He was the last of the Revolutionary War veterans to be president.  Monroe presided over the Era of Good Feelings, a post-war period of unity.  He is best remembered for his Monroe Doctrine that warned European powers to stay out of the Americas.  He is the only president other than Washington who ran unopposed for re-election.

Andrew Jackson (1829-1837) was the first general since Washington to lead the nation.  His was a tumultuous presidency, that saw Indian Removal, the Nullification Crisis that threatened Civil War, the Bank War, an assassination attempt, censure from the Congress, and the Texas Revolution.  Despite the divisiveness of the era, Jackson won re-election in a landslide in 1832.

Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877) had been President Johnson's secretary of war and the winning general of the Civil War.  Mostly remembered for reconstruction and the various scandals during his administration, Grant was nonetheless easily re-elected in 1872.  Following Washington's precedent, he did not run for a third term.  However, in 1880, he did attempt a third term but could not get enough delegates at the convention.

Grover Cleveland (1885-1889 & 1893-1897) is an anomaly as the only president to serve non-consecutive terms.  He was first elected in 1884, but defeated for re-election in 1888.  However, he ran again in 1892 and won!  Donald Trump is currently trying to be the second president with non-consecutive terms.  Also noteworthy, Cleveland is the only Democrat to be president between 1869 and 1913.

Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) had been the President of Princeton and Governor of New Jersey before his presidency.  He won election thanks to the split between Theodore Roosevelt and his chosen successor, William Howard Taft.  Roosevelt split the Republican party with his third party candidacy which allowed Wilson to win with 41% of the vote.  Wilson's presidency is most remembered for World War I and his press for the League of Nations (proto-United Nations) at its conclusion.  Prohibition and Women's Suffrage were passed during his presidency.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933-1945) was elected in 1933.  FDR broke Washington's precedent when he was re-elected in 1940, becoming the first and only president to serve more than 8 years.  Soon after, the 25th Amendment was added to the Constitution, limiting a president to a maximum of 10 years in office.  That ten years assumes that a VP took over at least halfway into another president's term.  FDR is remembered for the Great Depression and World War II.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1953-1961) was a West Point graduate who spent his life in the Army.  He served during World War I, World War II, and Korea.  Though not the first to golf while president, he popularized it as a presidential pastime.  His presidency is often viewed as an idyllic period, a combination of peace and prosperity.  Of course, there was the Red Scare/McCarthyism and Jim Crow still flourished.

Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) was an actor turned politician.  He served as governor of California before winning the presidency.  Having a rare gift of gab, he was called the Great Communicator.  His wit and humor created the Reagan Democrat, a crossover voter who gave him landslide victories and even elected his VP to follow him.  At 77, Reagan was the oldest president ever at the time but has since been surpassed by Joe Biden, currently 81.

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (1993-2001) was an Arkansas attorney general and governor before winning the presidency.  He became the first president since Andrew Johnson to be impeached.  The end of the Cold War provided the 'Peace Dividend' which extended the prosperity of the 80s until the Tech Bubble burst.  Like the 50s, the 90s were a period of peace and prosperity, which benefitted Clinton when he ran for re-election; he won handily.

George W Bush (2001-2009) was governor of Texas and the son of former President George Bush.  His first election was decided in a contentious recount in Florida.  He had hardly begun his presidency when the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred.  His presidency was defined by wars in Afghanistan and Iraq along with a growing surveillance state at home.  He won re-election, but again there was some contention, this time in Ohio.  In both elections, a one state shift would have resulted in his defeat.

Barack Obama (2009-2017) is the most recent two-term president.  He had served in the US Senate for less than 1 term when he won his party's nomination for president.  With a financial collapse and years of war staining the Republicans, Obama looked to be a worthwhile change.  Change was his campaign slogan.  He won convincingly and was re-elected in 2012.  The signature achievement of his presidency was the Affordable Care Act, widely called Obamacare.

Only twice has there been a string of 3 consecutive two-term presidents: Jefferson-Madison-Monroe and Clinton-Bush-Obama.  There would have been other two-term presidents if not for assassinations or resignation, but those will be for another post.

Presidential Last Names

Most US presidents have unique last names.  Only a handful of last names are repeated.  Interestingly, most of those repeats are relatives of one another.

Adams

John Adams (1797-1801) was the father of John Quincy Adams (1825-1829).  Of note, both of them were one term presidents.  Both were preceded and followed by two term presidents.  John Adams followed George Washington (1789-1797) and was followed by Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809).  John Quincy was preceded by James Monroe (1817-1825) and followed by Andrew Jackson (1829-1837).

Harrison

William Henry Harrison (1841) was the grandfather of Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893).

Johnson

Andrew Johnson (1865-1869) is not related to Lyndon Baines Johnson (1963-1969).  Oddly enough, the Johnsons have a lot of other things in common.  Andrew was born in 1808, while LBJ was born in 1908.  Both took over the presidency following an assassination.  Both had been senators before being chosen for Vice President.

Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) was the fifth cousin of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933-1945).  Franklin married Theodore's niece, Eleanor.  Eleanor was the daughter of Theodore's younger brother, Elliot, which means her maiden name was Roosevelt.

Bush

George Bush (1989-1993) was the father of George W. Bush (2001-2009), making this the second father-son pair.  However, where John Adams and John Quincy Adams' presidencies were separated by 24 years and 3 presidents, the Bush's only had Bill Clinton (1993-2001) between them.

There you have some more presidential trivia!

Presidential First Names

I have long been fascinated by American presidents.  It started when I was in high school and Mr. Stratos, the US History teacher, showed such enthusiasm for Theodore Roosevelt that it was contagious.  I've read biographies of many of them and even published a biography of James K Polk!  Some years ago, someone referred to George W. Bush as George III.  I thought that was odd.  Why would you compare Bush to King George III (1738-1820)?  It turns out he wasn't.  In fact, George W. Bush was the third George to be president.

1. George Washington (1789-1797)
2. George Bush (1989-1993)
3. George W Bush (2001-2009)

Well, that struck me as clever.  It is common for kings and popes to be numbered according to their first name, which is why we had King Henry VIII and Pope Benedict XVI.  With US Presidents, there would be a lot of unique names: Herbert, Millard, Gerald, Barack, Donald, etc.  However, there are a lot of repeats other than George.  Let's take a look.

The Andrews:

1. Andrew I (Andrew Jackson - 1829-1837)
2. Andrew II (Andrew Johnson - 1865-1869)

The Franklins:

1. Franklin I (Franklin Pierce - 1853-1857)
2. Franklin II (Franklin Delano Roosevelt - 1933-1945)

The Williams:

1. William I (William Henry Harrison - 1841)
2. William II (William McKinley - 1897-1901)
3. William III (William Howard Taft - 1909-1913)
4. William IV (William Jefferson Clinton - 1993-2001)

The Johns:

1. John I (John Adams - 1797-1801)
2. John II (John Quincy Adams - 1825-1829)
3. John III (John Tyler - 1841-1845)
4. John IV (John Fitzgerald Kennedy - 1961-1963)

And Finally, the most popular presidential name has thus far been James:

1. James I (James Madison - 1809-1817)
2. James II (James Monroe - 1817-1825)
3. James III (James Knox Polk - 1845-1849)
4. James IV (James Buchanan - 1857-1861)
5. James V (James Garfield - 1881)
6. James VI (James Earl Carter - 1977-1981)

Had George Washington not established a more modest presidency, this might have been how we would view presidents today.  Washington notably declined to be called 'Your Excellency' in favor of simply 'Mr. President.'  Thus, we have President Biden, rather than President Joseph I.

The Fall of Harvard

Claudine Gay, President of Harvard University, has resigned in the wake of her disastrous appearance before Congress and revelations about plagiarism in her academic work.  Obviously, if the reports of plagiarism are true, she absolutely should be removed if she had not resigned.  It is unacceptable that one of the premiere institutions of higher learning in the United States, the world, should be led by a plagiarist.  Now that she has resigned, one must ask how did she get the job?  What sort of vetting was done if a serial plagiarist was chosen?

The DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) movement may be at the root of her selection.  For decades, the demand for diversity has been growing and each time a minority or woman is promoted, there are celebrations in the media.  By contrast, when women and minorities are not promoted, accusations of sexism and racism follow.  Strangely, Asians are not considered a minority in the DEI movement.  There is so much eagerness for diversity that competence has become a secondary concern.

In the last year, Harvard has been exposed for discriminating on the basis of race, failing to condemn antisemitism, and now having a plagiarist for president.  Clearly, it is time to change course.

Darker than Amber (1970)

Travis McGee (Rod Taylor) and Meyer (Theodore Bikel) are fishing under a bridge one night when a girl plunges into the water.  Travis jumps into the water and swims down to assist her only to find an 80 lbs. weight tied to her foot.  After releasing her anchor, he deposits her in the boat.  Taking her back to his houseboat, The Busted Flush, Travis is unable to get much information from her.  She finally says her name is Vangie (Suzy Kendall), which is short for Evangeline.  It is clear she feels guilt and maybe even thinks she deserved to get tossed to her death, but she won't explain.  After a couple of days together, she leaves to get money from her apartment.  When Vangie doesn't return, McGee goes in search of her and the man who tossed her into the sea to drown.

The main villain is Terry (William Smith), a toe-headed body builder with a nasty temper.  He's been using beautiful blondes to fleece wealthy old men on cruise ships.  He has another blonde (Ahna Capri) still working for him as well as another body builder, Griff (Robert Phillips).  Though McGee has enough evidence to put the police onto Terry, he is determined to see the case through himself.  This involves some bareknuckle brawls.

The movie has a made-for-TV feel to it.  The blood looks phony, some of the makeup is laughably cheap, and the cinematography is bland.  This was meant to spawn a series of Travis McGee movies but the box office dictated against.  One point of interest was the cameo appearance of Jane Russell who played a wealthy widow on a neighboring houseboat.

Just okay.

Streets of Fire: A Rock & Roll Fable (1984)

Ellen Aim (Diane Lane) and the Attackers are preforming at a venue in the Richmond neighborhood when the Bombers, a motorcycle gang, storm in and kidnap Ellen from the stage.  Reva Cody (Deborah Van Valkenburgh) was in the audience; she contacts her brother, Tom (Michael Pare), for help.  Tom arrives on the train shortly thereafter and proves to be ambivalent about rescuing Ellen.  Ellen is a former girlfriend who is now with Billy Fish (Rich Moranis), her music promoter.  Tom demands a $10K payday to do the job, 10% of which will go to his new partner, McCoy (Amy Madigan).  Venturing into the dark district of the Battery, Tom and McCoy leave the place in flames and chaos with Ellen in hand.  The leader of the Bombers, Raven (Willem Dafoe), promises revenge.

Right out the gate, the movie states that it is "Another Time, Another Place," thus allowing for a world that does not match reality.  The setting is a stylized 1950s that is dark and dangerous.  Almost every interaction has an edge of hostility to it.  These are not friendly people, even to their friends.  The warmest relation is that between siblings Tom and Reva.  Everyone else offers threats and ultimatums as part of casual conversation.  Law enforcement is mostly useless and often corrupt.  There are seldom consequences to misbehavior.  Tom destroys multiple police vehicles but is not arrested when next he encounters a cop.  Like the biker gangs, the cops seem to have their territory.  The movie often seems like a series of music videos, fitting into the early years of MTV.  This is a terrible script that was meant to be saved because it had style.

Willem Dafoe has a small part but makes the most of his bit as the villain.  He emotes a smoldering rage combined with amusement.  By contrast, Michael Pare reminds me of Robert Mitchum here.  His emotions rarely bubble to the surface.  He is unfazed by the violence around him and unworried about the potential outcome.  Amy Madigan's character was originally written as male and it shows.  She's all tough tomboy and gearhead.  Just to make sure that there isn't any sexual tension, she assures Tom that he's not her type.  Yeah, that should work.

There are some surprise appearances.  Bill Paxton plays a bartender, Rick Rossovich plays a cop, Lynne Thigpen (The Chief from Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?) plays a subway driver, Ed Begley Jr. is a dirty crazy man named Ben Gunn (just like the guy from Treasure Island), Elizabeth Daily (Dotty from Pee Wee's Big Adventure) plays one of Ellen's adoring fans, and Robert Townsend is a member of a band.

Walter Hill, who directed & co-wrote the movie, constructed it with things that were cool in his youth and mashed them together.  According to IMDb, his list was "custom cars, kissing in the rain, neon, trains in the night, high-speed pursuit, rumbles, rock stars, motorcycles, jokes in tough situations, leather jackets and questions of honour."  Well, the movie has all of those.  If only he could have combined them with a reasonable story and believable characters.  Had the movie been a success, it was meant to be the first of a trilogy.

Silly but fun.