Was Nixon, not Clinton, the `first black president'?; The Supremes' darned robes; Ridge Inc.; In the mail--still; The 'Nam ticket; Ike's face-lift; The 411 on 9/11; Promise breakers; Secret Service lite; Jack, be nimble; Hey, soldier
Was Nixon, not Clinton, the `first black president'?
Bill Clinton can only wish he has the positive revisionist history now elevating Richard Nixon's reputation to new heights. The latest rage sweeping Nixon biographers: The president with a hardscrabble past understood how hard it was to fight barriers like segregation and fought to open doors to blacks. "If Bill Clinton had Richard Nixon's record, he'd be quite a worshiped figure," says Dean Kotlowski, a Nixon scholar. A Salisbury (Md.) University history professor and author of Nixon's Civil Rights (Harvard University Press), Kotlowski is just the latest to find gold in the trash heap of Nixon domestic policy. While there was "little doubt" Nixon was prejudiced, Kotlowski found repeated examples of the prez telling aides he had to "do what was right," even if it hurt politically. Like expanding voting rights, funding black colleges, and desegregating the South's schools. Ditto his efforts on behalf of American Indians. Odd, then, that it's Clinton who's lauded by African-Americans as the "first black president." By comparison, says Kotlowski, Clinton "talked the talk but didn't walk the walk."
The Supremes' darned robes
It's not supposed to be this way. When William Rehnquist got on the Supreme Court, the caseload was about 4,200 a year. Thanks to clerks and a lot of homework, the judges could make quick work of the cases and kick back. No wonder they call it a "job for life." But now even the judges on the top court are complaining about those danged lawyers and their suing ways. "Our workload is increasing," carps Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy. Want proof? Since Rehnquist joined in 1972, the caseload has doubled, and Kennedy says the number could reach over 10,000 this year. And those poor "Supremes" aren't the only ones working their fingers to the bone. Just look at the busy court kitchen, for example. One worker identified in budget papers as an "assistant food preparation specialist" does more than make BLTs. She's also tasked to hem judicial robes, like Chief Justice Rehnquist's fancy gown decorated with stripes. And she tailors uniforms for others, even the janitors. No wonder, then, that Rehnquist is seeking a $1,900 raise for his seamstress.
Ridge Inc.
He won't testify before Congress about his White House operation, but we learn that homeland security czar Tom Ridge is building quite a little empire. White House officials say that when the hiring ends, he'll have about 145 people working for him, many dispatched from other agencies. The price: $23 million a year. But only bigwigs will get White House desks. For $12 million, other offices nearby have been outfitted.
In the mail-still
The anthrax scare is over, but the White House still isn't getting its mail on time. Officials say that because every item has to be irradiated and inspected, a letter sent today won't get to the designated office for four to six weeks. The result: The White House is spending thousands of dollars on messengers to Capitol Hill and its agencies to avoid the Postal Service backlog.
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