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I was born during Truman’s  term – but I don’t remember him.

I remember Ike’s Nixon  – I was going from 8th grade to high school and the Brooklyn Dodgers had moved to LA.

I remember thinking Nixon  looked old, flustered, and worried during the TV debates.

I remember watching JFK’s  inauguration and how young he looked; he was two years younger than my mother.  I remember the “ask not” speech.  I remember Jackie’s tour of the White House and then learning, when their son died, in the South you can wear white for mourning.  I remember it was a Friday and school had been dismissed early so we could get home – we weren’t told why.  I had just walked in the door to our Bronx apartment and the phone was ringing.  We stayed glued to the television and Walter Cronkite cried and the phone was busy all night.

I remember Johnson  taking the presidential oath and Jackie’s bloodied suit.  I remember I was at my Aunt Mary’s for Sunday spaghetti dinner when we watched Jack Ruby shoot Lee Harvey Oswald  live on TV.  We thought we’d be seeing more of Jackie’s visits to the rotunda. 

I remember watching LBJ growing older and older as his time in the White House went on.  I remember the, “I will not run again speech.”   He looked so defeated, so very sad.  I remember signing the Hatfield-McGovern bill.

I remember hearing that Nixon had won, while I was on a bus in England, with far’rin’ner’s asking if I voted for Nixon.  I remember saying I thought Nixon was an A-hole and I’d voted for Humphrey.

I remember Gerald Ford  played golf and that Squeaky Fromme  had tried to kill him.  I remember Nelson Rockefeller  died while with a woman who wasn’t his wife. 

I remember I liked Jimmy,  believing he was too noble for us/US and that the good he did as President would be greatly overlooked.

I remember thinking Reagan  was an actor – always on from day one.

I remember thinking George Bush  was an ambitious businessman.

I remember knowing Clinton was lying when he said “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”  I remember being disappointed Hilary didn’t divorce Bill when she became a NY Senator. 

GW – I’m trying to forget.  While writing this I’ve had 3 glasses of a good French rosè and he’s fading fast from my memory.

As for Obama – I’m trying not to put him too high on the White House pedestal; he’ll be clawing out of a deep hole for most of his first 4 years.  I want him to succeed, yet I don’t want to build up my own expectations.

What/who do you remember?

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