Of all the books written by historian David McCullough the book I return to is a compilation of his speeches. The American Spirit offers exactly what its title implies and at this moment, we need a big dose of that spirit more than ever. In a speech to Dartmouth College in 1999, McCullough draws inspiration from a line in the...

Just when you think cynicism has become the default setting in much of America today a story comes along that reminds us of our humanity. Dodger pitcher Clayton Kershaw—who, last week, came within 6 outs of a perfect game—was answering questions at a press conference for major league baseball’s All-Star game when a member of the media pointed to 10-year-old...

Ever since Wyoming Republican Representative Liz Cheney voted for Trump’s impeachment as a result of the January 6 attack on the Capitol a very vocal base of Trump supporters back home have turned on her. Cody resident Bob Ferguson sums up what most feel. “She hasn’t just turned on Donald Trump — she has turned on Donald Trump’s supporters. …...

“It was written I should be loyal to the nightmare of my choice.”–Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness “You back-stabbing son of a bitch. You go against Trump y’all known, y’all mother are sitting up there lying like a damn dog.” “You’re going to swing for f***ing treason, you communist f***.” And I’m guessing that these are only a small example...

In September 2009, I posted a commentary with that title with the following opening . . . “During an awards ceremony, a Rap star takes the stage away from one winner and shouts that another should have won. “A political pundit calls the President a racist. “In the middle of the President’s address to a joint session of Congress, a...

The House select committee investigating the attack on the Capitol on January 6 is expected to hear testimony from three top Department of Justice officials on Trump’s push to overturn 2020 election results within the department. I will be live-tweeting at 3:00pm EST and 12:00pm PST: @jimlichtman This is subject to any time change. After the third installment of the...

Character is a word that’s rarely used today; rarer still is finding leaders who demonstrate character. But there are a few. Republicans Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, against their party’s wishes, chose to participate in an investigation into the causes of the January 6, 2020 insurrection. It takes character and courage to choose principle over politics. Where would we be...

The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award is distinguished by a ship’s lantern. “The lantern elicits immediate recognition and evokes the shared cultural symbols of light and truth,” designer Edwin Schlossberg says. “Light is the beacon of warning, of safety, of hope in the wilderness. A lantern symbolizes the search for an honest man. It lights a dark path,...

In 1877, Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, a former distinguished Confederate officer, was the hugely popular Democratic Senator from Mississippi. So revered for his commitment to duty and integrity that a Washington reporter said of Lamar, “he would be a conspicuous personality anywhere, with a character and quality of his own.” Lamar was now faced with an impossible choice in the...

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.” — John Maxwell, American clergyman Liz Cheney is smart, disciplined, honest and fearless. A rock-sold Republican from Wyoming, Cheney is one of only two House Republicans who sit on the House panel investigating the January 6 insurrection. Adam Kinzinger is the other. However, it is...