[Barbara Jordan Scrapbook, July - September, 1974] Page: 67 of 236
[200] p. : ill. (some col.)View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
They rise
to the
occasiong oiu*baj ftjister
July 28, 1974Over the Coffee
By DONALD KAUL
Thus far it's been a
lovely impeachment, al-
most perfect.
There's b-en just
enough drama, jus t
e n ou g h d u lln ess. T h ere 's b ee
been eloquence and in-
articulateness and pas-
sion and reason and
partisanship and magni-
nanimity, all in proper
measure.
The only really unseemly note was
struck by our own Wiley Mayne who, in.
his opening statement, seemed to be un-
der the impression he was being called
upon to impeach Lyndon Johnson.
Not that that's an entirely unattractive
idea, merely tardy. I mean, where was
Mayne in 1967 when so many of the rest
of us wanted to impeach Johnson?
I sympathize with his belated impulse
but, really, you can't always impeach
the president of your choice. You have
to take the one that's available. (What
was it Bill Scherle once said of Mayne?
"Always a day late and a dollar short.")
One of the important byproducts of
any televised congressional hearing is
presidential candidates. Presidential'
candidates are sometimes born, but
more often they are made by hearings
such as these, and this hearing is no ex-
ception.
Several of the congressmen made good
impressions on the nation in their open-
ing statements on impeachment,,.bi3,_
there was one, certainly, who stood out
abo~ve tine ot hers whose c oq _ ee and
a nments were so
sup rior as T sug est a ract r q .
- cit iber
I refer, of corse, to Barbara Jordan,
the black congressperson from Texas.
Ms. Jordan was by far the most im-
pesive speaker of the opening ses-
sions. She didn't have a nervous break-
down like Tomn Railsback. She didn't re-
sort to wisecracks like Charles Sand-
man. Her presentation was at once
scholarly and inspirational, precise yet
sweeping. She delivered it in a ringing
voice that seemed to draw its power
from a source deep within her.
She is a very substantial person in a
field where mediocrities line the hori-
zon.Of course, she has a couple of liabi-
lities as a presidential candidate.
For one thing, she's from the South.
For another thing, she's a Baptist.
Oh, I know what you're going to say.
Lyndon Johnson was a Southern Baptist
and he was elected president. But don't
forget that Johnson had some advan-
tages over Ms. Jordan.
When he was elected president he was
already an incumbent, which is a big
advantage. Also he ran against Barry
Goldwater, and it's unlikely the Republi-
cans would nominate hint again in 1976.
Another factor is that the nation might
object to having two Southern Baptist
presidents so close together. After a suc-
cession consisting of a Catholic, a South-
ern Baptist and a fallen-away Quaker, it
might want to go back to an Episcopa-
lian to renew its cultural roots.
Still, lis. Jordan is the class of the
early field, and the nation could do a lot
worse in 1976 - and probably vill. She's
only 28, though, so perhaps we can look
forward to her presidency at some fu-
ture date when the nation becomes more
accepting of Southern Baptists.The most interesting face on the corn-
mittee is that of Father Robert Drinan,
the Massachusetts priest. It is the face
of a fanatic.
Of course, that's neither here nor
there. I mention it only because it is a
quality that doesn't really come over on
television.
The impeachment proceedings are
really embodied by their chairman, Pe-
ter Rodino of New Jersey. In a sense,
Rodino is what the American political
process is about.
He is not a particularly bright man.
He's no dummy, but you probably have
an uncle who plays the piano at parties
who is as smart as Rodino.
You can see it in his face. He has a
kind of blank look around the eyes. It's
as if an artist were drawing a truly dis-
tinguished head but got tired when lie
came to the eyes and just roughed then
out without providing the detail given
the rest of the features.
But Rodino is proving to be a great
chairman of this committee. He has han-
dled things brilliantly at every turn. He
has ignored every opportunity to go off
half-cocked and alienate members. He
has, instead, carefully worked to gather
evidence in a fair and judicious manner.
And that's the genius of our system.
You can plug a man like Rodino into it,
and lie rises to the occasion.
It doesn't always happen, mind you,
but it happens often enough to make you
think ihat the framers of the Con-
stitution knew what they were doing.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
[Barbara Jordan Scrapbook, July - September, 1974], book, 1974; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth616583/m1/67/: accessed May 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Southern University.