In the midst of relentless hyper-partisanship and division, I wondered what Abraham Lincoln’s take would be. Here’s what he might have said. “America can be likened to a magnificent tapestry,” he said, “with each individual thread contributing to the overall fabric of our nation. No single thread holds more power than another. If our citizens come together with unwavering faith...

After the unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, Franklin Roosevelt declared, “No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.” Eighty years ago, hours before the D-Day invasion, Allied General Dwight D. Eisenhower issued his Order of the Day. “Soldiers, Sailors,...

She’s called the Statue of Freedom, not to be confused with the Statue of Liberty which rests on Liberty Island in New York’s Bay. She stands 19 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 15,000 pounds. She wears a helmet composed of an eagle’s head and feathers. Her right-hand rests on a sheathed sword as she holds a shield and laurel...

While the Gettysburg Address is one of the most remembered and well-regarded, it was not Lincoln’s greatest speech. His second inaugural address was far superior and can be viewed as a prophecy for today’s divided nation: “On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. All dreaded it, all sought...

“Duty is ours. Results are God’s.”—John Quincy Adams In 1806, after a series of attacks by Britain on American ships carrying goods, Massachusetts Senator John Quincy Adams and his colleagues were outraged. American sailors were being captured and “impressed” into the King’s navy. When the American frigate Chesapeake was fired upon by a British ship, Adams was so incensed he...

It’s getting harder and harder to see the light at the end of a dark, relentless tunnel of anger and war at home and abroad. However, another story reminds us of hope and opportunities. Not long after I completed my second book, What Do You Stand For?, I came across another book that closely paralleled my own. With a forward...

Continued from Tuesday’s commentary, I offer two Senate leaders from the past. Tuesday, I spoke of the integrity of Republican John Williams. Today, I offer the character of Senator Philip Hart as excerpted with permission from The Buying of the Congress (1998) by Charles Lewis, whose response appeared in my book, “What Do You Stand For?” John Williams and Philip...

Embed from Getty Images Let’s face it, we’re a mess. We’re living moment to moment, crisis to crisis at home and abroad. Every time you watch the news it feels like another brick to the head. I want a respite from the endless bombardment of anger, hate, and violence. I want a moment of triumph where everyone stands up and...

At a time when trust in Washington leadership is at its lowest point, it’s more vital than ever to revisit the lessons from our past. As a freshman Senator from Maine, a deeply republican state, Margaret Chase Smith had been concerned about Communism’s threat to the United States. However, she had become increasingly troubled about the extremist actions of Senator...

Embed from Getty Images In the 1950s, a junior senator from Wisconsin blanketed America with lies and conspiracies. The “Red Scare” he created led millions to believe that communists had infiltrated the federal government, and he persecuted those who stood up for the Constitution. The cycle repeats with a former president who continues to lie and spread conspiracies as easily...