[laughter] guest i think we have so little perspective on this moment that it is quite impossible to say. I think the perception that many people in the United States and, of course, also around the world have that this is an extraordinary uni shall time is something that we are in a time out of time will be a curiosity in the future. People will look back and wonder about that very sense i think it is kind of an interesting phenomenon. I think that will be studied. Host when you think about today, do you compare it to any other period in history . Guest no, you know, as a historian, im interested in analogies. I think we have a cognitive tendency to enjoy analogies to find one thing to be like another, all the time, just in the same way, you know, im the kind of person that sees likenesses in family members. I look at a new baby and say oh that looks just like great grandma so and so. But at the same time, even as i say that, i recognize that a lot of that is my need for familiarity.
You today by your television provider. And i come here tonight to the alsmith dinner knowing im the underdog in these final weeks. If you know where to look, there are signs of hope, theres signs of hope, even in the most unexpected places, even in this room, full of proud manhattan democrats, i cant i cant shake that feeling that some people here are pulling for me. Im delighted to see you here tonight, hillary. I was thrilled to get this invitation. And i feel right at home here because its often been said that i share the politics of alfred e. Smith and the ears of alfred e. Newman. It is an honor to be here with al smith. I obviously never knew your great grandfather but from everything that senator mccain has told me the two of them had a great time together before prohibition. So of course i am delighted. But not surprised by the final repeal of the 18th amendment. I felt all along that when this matter was properly submitted to the rank and file of our people they would readily
There may be one better, but it is extra ordinary and i started working on this book. I started developing it. I wrote for other books in between. Those were sort of to keep bread on the table so to speak. I just became haunted by the story and tried to get deeper and deeper into it and discover who the people were, who saved the country. For me it was a revelatory moment because i go to libraries and places and book sales and try to look up some of the things i write about in this book like the louisiana maneuvers, for example, and found almost nothing. I had to really dig and go through a lot of archives and primary source materials, newspapers, daily newspapers from obscure places like small towns in louisiana and such. That is how i put it together, i came up with this to get it right. This is like telling how sausages are made, but i had two pretty full rewrites, had two copy edits, and a lot of people key people, the premier general in the air force academy , a man who had been i
And did a lot of research there. And i went to the military library in chicago which is , probably the best military library in the country. There may be one better, but it is extraordinary. And i started working on this book. I started developing it. I wrote four other books in between. Those were sort of to keep bread on the table, so to speak. I just became haunted by the story and tried to get deeper and deeper into it and discover who the people were, who saved the country. , for me it was a revelatory moment because i placeso go to libraries, and book sales to try to look up some of the things i write about in the book, like the louisiana maneuvers, for example, and found almost nothing. I really had to dig go through a , lot of archives and primary source materials, newspapers, daily newspapers from obscure places like small towns in louisiana and such. That is how i put it together, i came up with this to get it right. This is like telling how sausages are made, but i had two p
Why did you write this book . That it had never been really told before between the covers of a book. I mean its been told orally and in conversations, but so in 2005, i went to two places. I went to the Eisenhower Library, did a lot of research there in the st. Abilene, kansas. And i went to the Pritzker Military library in chicago which is probably the best military library in the country. There may be one better, but it is extra ordinary and started working on this book, i started developing it. And i wrote four other books in between including words from the white house. Those were to sort of to keep bread on the table so to speak. I just became haunted by this story and trying to get deeper and deeper into it and discover who the people were, who really saved the country. For me it was a revelatory moment because id go to libraries and places and book sales and trying to look up some of the things i write about in this book like the louisiana maneuvers for example and found almost