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Margo Howard and Martin Peretz

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from: Margo Howard

Personality Trivia of the New Regime

Posted Monday, Jan. 15, 2001, at 4:19 PM ET

Dear Marty,

Plus ça change. You still carry with you that bred-in-the-bone understanding of American history, having obviously not forgotten a whit of our common major. (I have.) Do you ever wonder what our dear Max Lerner would have thought of all this? You do make a fine case for Eisenhower. Alas, he is unavailable and unable to help us. Funny, for whatever reasons, I was never madly for Adlai, the father, though I was fond of his son (same name) who was briefly our Illinois senator. Adlai IV wound up in politics from a sense of duty, I think, perhaps because he carried the name, whereas the famous father found it an amusing way to step into the spotlight and spout erudition. (Now, in addition to the humorless who are reading this, I can now be attacked by the Lauren Bacall Democrats.)

As for Ashcroft, you and I differ about the hoped-for outcome. I do not want him to get into the AG's seat and embarrass his administration. I want him to be defeated so that we will not have him running the Justice Department and serving as a constant reminder that the president's handlers were out to stick it to us ... us being moderate Democrats and Republicans alike. I find it hubristic that the puppeteers for Dubya have not come to terms with the fact that their guy has no mandate, and that perhaps less polarizing appointees might prove more useful, more logical--and more confirmable. By me, Ashcroft is another version of Clarence Thomas. He is NOT the best-qualified for the office. He is, simply, another out-of-work, defeated pol who could use a job. My dearest wish is that he go, on his nondancing feet, back whence he came.

I did know about the royalties for Dr. King's utterances. That's probably because I live in Boston, like you, where we have seen perhaps more intense coverage of BU duking it out with the King estate. I did not know MLK was the only American to have his own holiday, but I remember that some states were kicking and screaming about going along with it.

Being descended from packrats, I only just now caught up with Maureen Dowd's column from yesterday. Her riff on the three babes with balls showed great restraint, I thought, re Mizz Tutwiler and her old boss. Dowd certainly tiptoed around what I think is a better rumor than the one regarding Mizz Harris of Florida. (And if she's 44, I am Marie of Rumania.) Do forgive me my petty diversions into the personality trivia of the new regime. The nonsense just makes it hurt less when I am reminded of the consequences of the Ashcrofts and the Nortons ... and God knows who's coming next.

XX,
Margo

the breakfast table
entries
12345678910111213141516
from: Margo Howard

Personality Trivia of the New Regime

Posted Monday, Jan. 15, 2001, at 4:19 PM ET
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Margo Howard writes Slate's "Dear Prudence" column. Martin Peretz is a lecturer in social studies at Harvard and editor in chief and chairman of the New Republic.
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