I'm taking an audio course in the Presidency in
the 20th Century, produced by Barnes & Noble. The teacher goes through
each of the people who held the office last century, starting with
Teddy Roosevelt, skipping William
Howard Taft (other than to say he was TR's hand-picked successor,
and a man with no vision), going deep on Woodrow Wilson, skipping the
three Republican presidents of the 1920's, then going deep on FDR,
Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and I'm now learning about Johnson and
Vietnam, from the historian's point of view.
FDR understood that he couldn't enter World War II until the
public was ready. He did all kinds of half-steps, cash-and-carry,
lend-lease, and sold it to them and they bought it because he was so
cheerful and reassuring. Finally, after Pearl Harbor, the public was
engaged, and wanted to get even. "A date which will live in infamy."
He fed the frenzy, interring American citizens of Japanese descent, as
a way to give the public a sense something was happening as he geared
up for war. (History remembers this as a terrible thing, and it was,
but the context is often omitted.)
While LBJ wasn't the first President to escalate in Vietnam, he
was the one who decided to go to war. But when he did it, he never
tested the public's support for the war, was warned that they wouldn't
support it, ignored the warning, at the last minute he offered Ho Chi
Minh a billion dollars, his own Great Society, was turned down, and
the war began, quietly, with no announcement, no great speech. He used
the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution as his cover. We won World War II, which
was a much bigger war, covering much more territory, with a much
better equipped enemy; Vietnam was a disaster. In other words, try as
hard as you want to be right, but if you haven't convinced the people
to fund the war with their wealth and the lives of their children, it
ain't going to happen.
I'm thinking of course of the great commander-in-chief of the
Semantic Web, Tim Berners-Lee. Like Johnson, he had a vision for a
great society, the HTML web, but let it languish while he fought a
no-way-to-win war in Semantic Web Land.
Steve Johnson on 9/1107/05/2004 05:56 PM Steve Johnson has a terrific review of F9/11. It's about 3 stars short
of a rave. Steve reduces the movie to a silly conspiracy theory and an
unreeling of images that we need to see if we are to be morally
accountable. I agree that the movie is both those things, but I think
it's also more than that. Moore blurts out conspiracy theories with
alarming frequency, and I agree with Steve that they generally don't
stick. (I do want to read the book about the Bushes' relationships
with the Saudis, though.) But I didn't read the intellectual content
of...
"Johnson Family Vacation"04/09/2004 04:04 PM Cedric the Entertainer making the moves on Vanessa Williams in a hot
tub? Should be funny -- but like most of this slack comedy, it's not.
Johnson quits England01/17/2004 10:55 PM England's World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson announces his
retirement from international rugby.
Rugby: Johnson backs England
Rugby: Johnson backs England02/12/2004 09:59 AM Former captain Martin Johnson says England are again the team to beat
in the Six Nations.
US confirms Johnson head found
US confirms Johnson head found07/23/2004 12:58 PM A man's head found in a police raid in Riyadh is that of US hostage
Paul Johnson, a US official says.
Randy Johnson Reaches 4,000 Strikeouts (AP)06/29/2004 11:56 PM AP - Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks became the fourth
pitcher to record 4,000 strikeouts when he struck out San Diego's Jeff
Cirillo in the eighth inning Tuesday night.
Steven Johnson: In Which The Blogger Turns One11/16/2003 12:16 AM "I suspect the most rewarding part of all of this will arrive ten or
twenty years from now, reading through the archives in chronological
order, making all the long-forgotten connections..."
Randy Johnson Strikes Out 4,000th (AP)06/30/2004 03:00 AM AP - Randy Johnson walked off the mound after striking out his 4,000th
batter, and waved his cap to the cheering Arizona Diamondbacks fans.
Steve Johnson on books and bl0gs
Steve Johnson on books and bl0gs03/25/2005 05:17 PM Steve Johnson has a brilliant post on why he doesn't blog his books as
he writes them: The problem for an author is that books are not
written the way they are read. They usually take years to write, from
original proposal to final proofs; they are rarely composed in
sequence; and by the time you submit a final manuscript, you've
invariably read every page dozens of times, mostly out context. So for
me at least, the trick of writing a book is somehow shedding all the
layered, time-shifted contortions of writing, and somehow recreating
what it would feel like...
Johnson Shuts Down BoSox As Yanks Win 9-2 (AP)04/04/2005 12:14 AM AP - Randy Johnson shut down Boston in his New York debut, dominating
his new team's old rival. He outpitched David Wells, got help from
Hideki Matsui and a rejuvenated Jason Giambi and led the Yankees over
the World Series champions 9-2 Sunday night in the major league
opener.
Rugby: Wilkinson hails Johnson
Rugby: Wilkinson hails Johnson01/19/2004 08:29 AM Jonny Wilkinson describes former England captain Martin Johnson as a
"living legend".
Johnson Agrees to Extension With Yankees (AP)
Johnson Agrees to Extension With Yankees (AP)01/06/2005 10:31 PM AP - Randy Johnson moved within one step of joining the New York
Yankees, and the Houston Astros said Thursday they've made their final
offer to Carlos Beltran.
Yankees, Johnson Reach $32M, 2-Year Deal (AP)01/06/2005 02:53 PM AP - Randy Johnson and the Yankees reached a preliminary agreement
Thursday on a $32 million, two-year contract extension, leaving a
physical as the last step needed to finalize Arizona's trade to send
him to New York.
Business as Usual: Johnson Set to Join Yanks
Business as Usual: Johnson Set to Join Yanks12/30/2004 09:43 PM Randy Johnson, at the advanced age of 41, will become the ace of
George Steinbrenner’s extremely expensive team and the latest
superstar to join his constellation.
Yankees Finally Get Their Man, Acquiring Johnson in a Trade
Yankees Finally Get Their Man, Acquiring Johnson in a Trade12/31/2004 01:31 AM Randy Johnson, at the advanced age of 41, will become the ace of
George Steinbrenner’s extremely expensive team and the latest
superstar to join his constellation.
D-Backs, Yankees Close to Deal for Johnson (AP)
D-Backs, Yankees Close to Deal for Johnson (AP)12/30/2004 07:57 PM AP - The Arizona Diamondbacks and Yankees were close to agreement
Thursday on a deal that would send Randy Johnson to New York.
Selig Approves Johnson Trade to Yankees (AP)
Selig Approves Johnson Trade to Yankees (AP)01/03/2005 05:41 PM AP - Randy Johnson moved a step closer to joining the Yankees when
commissioner Bud Selig approved a proposed trade between Arizona and
New York, The Associated Press learned Monday.
Tracking Boris Johnson every step of the way: Boriswatch
Johnson Tosses Perfect Game Vs. Braves (AP)05/18/2004 10:33 PM AP - Arizona's Randy Johnson became the oldest pitcher in major league
history to throw a perfect game, retiring all 27 hitters to lead the
Diamondbacks over the Atlanta Braves 2-0 Tuesday night.
Johnson Rips Lakers for Lack of Effort (AP)06/12/2004 06:45 PM AP - Magic Johnson doesn't like what he sees from the Los Angeles
Lakers, and he decided to speak up about it Saturday.
CNN.com - U.S. hostage Johnson apparently beheaded - Jun 18, 2004
