Well, we have wireless, but there’s not much room for computing. Nonetheless, it is fun to be here in Washington on this historic occasion, with the stimulus bill poised to pass
A few not very exciting pictures. Here’s a view outside our window, showing what appears to be two imposing governmental edifices. However, appearances can be deceiving. The building in the foreground is the National Postal Museum, thought most of the space is actually occupied by a large brew pub. The building toward the rear is the train station.
We walked to the National Press Club to see George McGovern talk about his Lincoln book. The way there is rather unexciting. This is the entrance to the National Building Museum, which I’ve cropped more than I’d like to remove some unsightly signs. The building was formerly the National Pensions Bureau, built after the Civil War to administer Veteran’ payments. That explains the frieze over the door that extends around the building.
A sculpture by Roy Lichtenstein, outside the National Portrait Gallery:
And last, but certainly not least, George McGovern signing his Lincoln book at the National Press Club.
McGovern drew a full house, and the books sold out. It was good to see that the audience was not made up exclusively of aging sixties people. As I stated in a previous post, the book is part of the American President’s Series. Each book is by a different author, and I wondered in a previous post how McGovern had drawn Lincoln, which has to be the plum assignment. It turns out that Bill Clinton had been chosen, but eventually withdrew, and Arthur Schlesinger then gave the assignment to McGovern, who had previously said he was too busy to write one, but would reconsider if Clinton decided not to do Lincoln.
In any event, I am now the proud owner of a signed copy of George McGovern’s Lincoln.
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