The Barack Obama story: The "book" that was re-launched by the "speech"

An exceptionally written book that Barack Obama had written in 1996 had "underperformed." I remember walking into Powell's Bookstore in Hyde Park in the spring of 2000 and nearly tripped over the stacks of unsold copies of Obama's book.

The book was re-released after "the speech" in August of 2004 and became not only a bestseller, but is considered a classic in the memoir genre of books. Book Discussion groups across the country have consistently chosen this book as one of their monthly selections. That year Obama sold hundreds of thousands of copies and then was offered a generous book contract.

And if you haven't read Sentaor Barack Obama's classic memoir, Dreams from my Father, now is your chance to order it and read it.

The book traces Barack Obama's life as a child to his emergence into manhood. His life is then transformed and he at last reconciles his divided inheritance. This book will echo far into the future. The universality of its message will resonate with serious readers for many generations to come. John Presta.

Latest postings from Book Publishing, May 1, 2008

Publisher's Weekly reports that Fortune magazine writer, Peter Elkind, is publishing an Eliot Spitzer book. The New York Post has more details about the book which will be similar to Elkind's previous book about Enron, The Smartest Guys in the Room.

The proposal that agent Liz Darhansoff has been shopping on the rise and fall of Eliot Spitzer has found a home. After PW reported last week that the book-to-be, by Fortune magazine (and Smartest Guys in the Room) writer Peter Elkind, was starting off at a base price of $350,000, expected winner Portfolio has closed the deal.

A book deal was closed about Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP-MorganChase. Penned by Duff McDonald and based on a piece in New York magazine.

S&S senior editor Colin Fox bested four other houses in an auction for Duff McDonald’s untitled book on Jamie Dimon; David Kuhn sold world rights. Derived from a cover piece McDonald wrote for New York magazine last month, the book will look at the career of the JP-MorganChase CEO—from protégé, then castoff, of Citigroup’s Sandy Weill, to Wall Street legend at age 52—to tell the tumultuous story of Wall Street’s boom and bust over the past 20 years. McDonald is also a contributing editor at Condé Nast’s Portfolio; S&S pub date is September 2009.

Reading on Walden Bookstore.

Jim Lehrer casts satirical eye at America's heartland

Mack to the Rescue is Jim Lehrer's new book, available now at Reading on Walden Bookstore.

When he’s not anchoring the NewsHour on PBS, Jim Lehrer may be found casting a satirical eye at America’s heartland in such books as Crown Oklahoma and The Sooner Spy. Mack to the Rescue is the latest of his successful One-Eyed Mack novels. Set in Oklahoma and tracing the exploits of a fictional lieutenant governor, the series allows Lehrer to address contemporary national issues with a unique blend of humor and insight. Rife with Oklahoma-isms and brimming with memorable characters, Mack to the Rescue employs ironic twists and sharp dialogue to poke fun at government foibles. Inventive and hilarious, it demonstrates once again that Lehrer knows Middle America and its ways all too well.

Books by political bloggers and other influential writers

Here are a few "must read" books by some bloggers and other prominent writers. And for those of you who don't know me, they all have a tendency to be left-leaning (that's an understatement).

The first is a new release by the "editor-in-chief" of the Huffington Post, blogger Arianna Huffington, who operates one of the most popular political blogs. Arianna tackles the issues at the heart of the 2008 presidential election with her trademark passion, intelligence, and devastating wit, according to her publisher's press release. The new book is called Right Is Wrong: How the Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded the Constitution, and Made Us All Less Safe (and What You Need to Know).

Next is a book by a co-founder of The American Prospect magazine, Robert Kuttner. The book is called The Squandering of America: How the Failure of Our Politics Undermines Our Prosperity. Rober Kuttner has written for BusinessWeek, The Boston Globe and The American Prospect, and Kuttner has established himself as one of the most lucid economic and political critics. Now he delves deeper, illuminating how the elhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifite domination of American politics makes society less democratic and prosperous, according to his publisher. Reading on Walden Bookstore.

Books are bullish on gold across the board: what could that mean

In searching for books about gold and gold-related stocks, it has become increasingly difficult to find a contrarian view of gold, that is an assessment that gold will become bearish. The book barometer says gold is going higher, much higher. One book recently released by John Wiley and Sons almost shouts advice.

Buy Gold Now!

Buy Gold Now: How a Real Estate Bust, Our Bulging National Debt, and the Languishing Dollar Will Push Gold to Record Highs by Shane McGuire touts buying gold: lots of it.

Here is what the publisher says about this book:
Masterfully researched, and written in a straightforward style, "Buy Gold Now" makes a case for buying gold as protection against the rising risks of an unprecedented global currency crisis and as a profitable investment vehicle. Divided into five comprehensive parts, this reliable resource examines our country's current financial situation from a historical perspective and addresses some of the alarming issues that many economists are currently pointing to with concern.

Another bullish book on gold is called The Collapse of the Dollar and How to Profit from It: Make a Fortune by Investing in Gold and Other Hard Assets by James Turk and John A. Rubino. Another strong argument of the case of a weak dollar and strong gold.

And then there is a rather expensive book (cover price is 34.95 for the paperback and I won't scare you with the hardcover price) called A Hundred Thousand Dollars in Gold: How to Make It George P. Burnham. I suppose if you are going to make $100,000 profit by taking this book's advice, you can afford $34.95 plus shipping plus tax. The book is about, well, you get the idea. "Buy gold." "Sell the dollar."

Books are great barometer of what is going on in the world. It can also be viewed as a contrarian viewpoint of what will not happen. If you believe in that viewpoint, and I do subscribe to it, then sell gold and buy the dollar. And stay away from commodities too. Reading on Walden Bookstore.

Sweet Reads for Parents and Children to Share

Here are some great books for mom and dad to share with their children. Order them today.

The Ultimate Guide to Grandmas & Grandpas!
by Sally Lloyd-Jones
illustrated by Michael Emberley
ISBN: 9780060756871
$14.99 Hardcover
HarperCollins
Pub Date: May
Here, at last, is a manual packed with sweet advice, pointers, and helpful hints on how grandchildren can best take care of their grandparents, like giving them lots of hugs and kisses.

T. Rex and the Mother's Day Hug
by Lois G. Grambling
illustrated by Jack E. Davis
ISBN: 9780060531263
$16.99 Hardcover
Katherine Tegen Books
It's Mother's Day, and T. Rex wants to plan something really special for his mama. In this sweet, funny story, Lois G. Grambling and Jack E. Davis demonstrate that sometimes the simple gifts are the best.


Mother, You're the Best!
(But Sister, You're a Pest!)
written & illustrated by Diane deGroat
ISBN: 9780061238994
$16.99 Hardcover
HarperCollins
Gilbert wants to show his mother that she's the best, but his little sister keeps getting in the way. Diane deGroat's heartfelt story and endearing illustrations will resonate with any reader who has ever had to share a parent's attention with a sibling.


Daddy Hug
by Tim Warnes
illustrated by Jane Chapman
ISBN: 9780060589509
$16.99 Hardcover
HarperCollins
Pub Date: May
Regardless of what daddies look like or what noises they make, daddies have one thing in common: They make children feel safe and snug with tender hugs.

Mommy's Best Kisses
by Margaret Anastas
illustrator Susan Winter
ISBN: 9780061241307
$6.99 Board Book
HarperFestival
There are many ways to say I love you to a child, and now way is sweeter than with a kiss. Margaret Anastas's loving rhyme and Susan Winter's gentle illustrations of animal mamas and their adorable babies will make this a family favorite.

Also available this great children's book by actor Billy Crystal:
I Already Know I Love You
ISBN: 9780061450570
$7.99 Board Book

Now available in a board book format--the #1 "New York Times" bestselling debut by comedian Billy Crystal, in which he describes the cavalcade of feelings that comes with becoming a grandfather for the first time. Full color.

Publisher Comments

Grandpa can hardly wait

Starting with the anticipation of a new baby's arrival, this book from Emmy Award-winning comedian Billy Crystal celebrates all the moments, great and small, that a new grandpa is ready to share. Whether it's taking a nap together or attending baseball games, this grandpa just can't wait for his grandchild to be born.

February Bookstore Sales Jump in February, increasing 11.3%

Book sales in February increased, according to Publishers Weekly magazine, a book publishing trade magazine.

Despite lots of industry talk about a challenging economic environment, bookstore sales are off to a strong start. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, sales in February jumped 11.3%, to $1.13 billion, bringing the two-month total to $3.40 billion, a 6.7% increase over the comparable period in 2007. Total retail sales were up 7.3% in February and ahead 5.9% for the two months.

Reading on Walden Bookstore.

Abigail and John Adams: A Love Story and Dearest of Friends

Order this book today.
The recent success of the HBO series seven-part mini-series, John Adams, has stirred interest in John Adams and Abigail Adams. Check out this book of letters of these two friends and lovers, John and Abigail. The letters were often addressed to "My Dearest Friend."

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE PUBLISHERS COMMENT:
Separated more often than they were together over a 40-year span, John and Abigail Adams shared their lives through letters that each addressed to "My Dearest Friend." This new collection invites readers to experience the founding of a nation and the partnership of two strong individuals, in their own words.

Part of a short interview with Margaret Hogan Host: Chris Gondek ] Producer: Heron & Crane

In 1762, John Adams penned a flirtatious note to "Miss Adorable," the 17-year-old Abigail Smith. In 1801, Abigail wrote to wish her husband John a safe journey as he headed home to Quincy after serving as president of the nation he helped create. The letters that span these nearly forty years form the most significant correspondence--and reveal one of the most intriguing and inspiring partnerships--in American history.

As a pivotal player in the American Revolution and the early republic, John had a front-row seat at critical moments in the creation of the United States, from the drafting of the Declaration of Independence to negotiating peace with Great Britain to serving as the first vice president and second president under the U.S. Constitution. Separated more often than they were together during this founding era, John and Abigail shared their lives through letters that each addressed to "My Dearest Friend," debating ideas and commenting on current events while attending to the concerns of raising their children (including a future president).

Full of keen observations and articulate commentary on world events, these letters are also remarkably intimate. This new collection--including some letters never before published--invites readers to experience the founding of a nation and the partnership of two strong individuals, in their own words. This is history at its most authentic and most engaging.

So you want to write a book and get it published, well here is another jump start

The title of the book I am suggesting is very telling when it comes to writing and then publishing your book. It is called 78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published and 14 Reasons Why It Just Might by Pat Walsh.

Drawing on his experience as founding editor of MacAdam/Cage, Pat Walsh gives writers what they a need-specific, straightforward feedback to help them overcome bad habits and bad luck. He avoids the optimistic sometimes misleading directions often found in publishing how-to books and presents the industry as it is, warts and all. Here is the first guide that tells writers just what the odds against them are and gives them practical tips for evening them.

It is important to remember that the odds of getting your book published are not in your favor, but if you truly believe in your project and believe you have a message that will resonate, don't give up. You probably do have a message.

Pat was recently featured in Publishers Weekly. Reading on Walden Bookstore.

So you want to write a book and have it published too, well here are a few more tips

Try this book to help you send a winning "book query" and a winning "book proposal."

The book pictured to the left, Write the Perfect Book Proposal by Jeff Herman and Deborah Levine Herman.

Publishers Comments about this book:

Charismatic authors and literary agents Jeff Herman and Deborah Levine Herman have successfully sold hundreds of titles and learned--through trial and error--how to write a flawless book proposal that publishers can't resist. Now you can benefit from their hard work and publishing savvy. In this new edition, they offer guidance and advice that will inspire, educate, and, most importantly, give you the necessary edge to get your book published. They explain:

- How to shape your idea and create a title

- Ways to get to know the market and competition

- Tips on writing an effective outline, query letter, and sample chapter

- The art and science of fiction and nonfiction book proposals

- How ten actual proposals (included were successfully sold to publishers--and why

It is not enough to just write a book. You may have written the next great American novel. While that part is important (and essential), you must also sell your book to a publisher. While it is not essential, having a literary agent represent your work is a plus. Most of the major publishing houses do not accept book queries, proposals or manuscripts from unagented authors. It is no impossible to have a "major" publish your book. you must have a way of getting your foot in the door. A celebrity has a very good chance of picking up the phone and saying for example, "This is Brad Pitt and have I got a story for you."

The bottom line for the major publishers is the bottom line. Will the book sell? Why would I buy the book? Why would I be excited about your book?

My own selling points are compelling. I am a bookstore owner with a wealth of contacts with bookstore owners.

It is just as difficult to get a literary agent to represent you as it is to have a publisher even consider your work. The great majority of cases publishers will either reject your work or ignore your work. If a publisher likes your work, you will hear from them quickly. They will then pass it around the office and make a decision. I had the good fortune of having several agents and a couple publishers take a look at my work. I received a positive response to my "first query," which spoiled me. The book was ultimately rejected and the reason is that it was not well-written or thought out. Upon closer inspection, the book I submitted originally was literary garbage. But the query and the proposal were adequate enough to draw interest. The idea is to induce them to want to read more.

I have since improved my product and have every confidence I will find the right venue for my book. I have since re-read my own work and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. We will be discussing this next time. Reading on Walden Bookstore.

So you want to write a book, well here is a good start

These are a few of my favorite books, Volume 3
As many of you know, I am writing a book about my bookstore experiences surrounded by such work as our community involvement with CAPS (community policing), neighborhood watch, court watch, garden walks, marches against crime and drugs, political campaign work (with candidates like Barack Obama, Alexi Giannoulias, Debra Shore), book and political discussion groups.

This books has been a challenging and exhilarating experience which I highly recommend. When you write a book, I believe, you write it to please yourself Of course you want to sell it, but you must be pleased with your work. You are the audience.

I am often asked, "I am writing a book too (or at least have an idea about writing a book) and I don't know where to start."

I say start with the Writers Market 2008 Deluxe Edition.

The 2008 Writers Market Deluxe Edition will incorporate all the great information writers have to come to expect for more than 80 years, but this edition will move the book and site to a new level of excellence. From the higher profiles of its author interviews to the five new market sections (newspapers, syndicates, screenwriting, playwriting, greeting cards), the 2008 Writers Market Deluxe Edition will push the title to new limits while providing all the best and most up-to-date market listings available to help readers find success. The book will also include the ever-popular How Much Should I Charge? feature. The Deluxe edition provides the reader with access to the WritersMarket.com online database of over 6,000 listings updated daily. Additionally, in early 2007 the database is receiving a newly redesigned interface and enhanced search features.

We will continue this discussion and please let me know about your experiences. Let's have some great comments and ideas about writing your book. If you have any memories about our store or if you have any questions about your book, no matter how small you might think it would be, I'd love to hear about it. Please call me at 773-233-7633 or email us at readingonwalden@att.net. Reading on Walden Bookstore.

Reading on Walden Bookstore.

Basic Brown: My Life and Our Times - new book by Willie L. Brown

Order Willie Brown's book now and enjoy a 20% Discount:
A new book written by the the two-term mayor of San Francisco, the longest-serving Speaker of the California Assembly, and one of the most influential black politicians in America. Brown rose from a rural, segregated Texas to become Basic Brown: My Life and Our Times by Willie L. Brown.

Publisher Comments
To "The Washington Post," he's "The Last Political Showman of the 20th Century."

Bill Clinton has called him "the real Slick Willie."

Ronald Reagan's secretary of state George Shultz called this famously liberal politician "a man of his word" and endorsed his successful candidacy for mayor of San Francisco.

Indeed Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton both called upon him for advice and help. He is Willie L. Brown, Jr., and he knows how to get things done in politics, how to work both sides of the aisle to get results. Compared to him, Machiavelli looks meek. And drab.

In "Basic Brown," this product of rural, segregated Texas and the urban black neighborhoods of San Francisco tells how he rose through the civil rights movement to become the most potent black politician in America through his shrewd understanding and use of political power and political money. He adapts the lessons he has learned so they can be used by anyone -- black, female, male -- intent on acquiring political power.

And this master of the political deal demonstrates why deals are not enough, and that political power grows only when public good is being done. Willie Brown shows how some of the most far-reaching and socially advanced legislation in American history -- like gun control, legalized abortion, gay rights, and school funding -- was carried out under his guidance and on his watch, and tells of the ingenuity, the political machinations, and the personal perseverance that were required to enact what now seems to many to be obvious legislation. These are stories of breathtaking, sometimes hilarious ruses and gambits that show that even the most high-minded legislation needs the assistance of theskills of a shark, which is what Willie Brown often sees himself as.

"Basic Brown" is a compendium of insights and stories on the real forces governing power in American political life that will leave you looking at politics anew. It is also the inspiring and funny story of the rise of a gawky teenager in mail-order shoes and trousers who rose to entertain royalty and schoolchildren, superstars and supersize egos, the saintly and the scholarly, while working to transform and open American politics. If you ever wanted to learn how to be slick, a shark, a do-gooder, and a man of your word, Willie L. Brown, Jr., is the storyteller for you.

Robert Bennett: In the Ring: The Trials of a Washington Lawyer

Order this book now and enjoy a 20% discount. Robert Bennett has represented Washington power brokers, heads of state, and even a sitting president. Now one of the most well-known Beltway lawyers talks about the law, his life, and the cases he has won.

Publishers Comments:
Robert S. Bennett has been a lawyer for more than forty years. In that time, he's taken on dozens of high-profile and groundbreaking cases and emerged as the go-to guy for the nation's elite. Bob Bennett gained international recognition as one of America's best lawyers for leading the defense of President Bill Clinton in the Paula Jones case. But long before, and ever since, representing a sitting president, he has fought for justice for many famous (and some now infamous) clients. This is his story.

Born in Brooklyn and an amateur boxer in his youth, Bennett has always brought his street fighter's mentality to the courtroom. His case history is a who's who of figures who have dominated legal headlines: super lobbyist Tommy Corcoran, former Secretaries of Defense Clark Clifford and Caspar Weinberger, Marge Schott, and, most recently, New York Times reporter Judith Miller and former World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz.

Bennett also served as special counsel to the Senate during the ABSCAM and Keating Five scandals and was a leading member of the National Review Board for the Protection of Children & Young People, created by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in response to the sex abuse allegations.

Taking the reader deep within his most intriguing and difficult cases, "In the Ring" shows how Bennett has argued for what's right, won for his clients, and effected his share of change on the system. This is an intimate and compelling memoir of one lawyer's attempt to fight hard and fair.

Chief O'Neill's Sketchy Recollections of an Eventful Life in Chicago

Order your copy now and enjoy a 20% discount.
Our friend and neighbor, Ellen Skerrett, is one of the editors of a new book.

Publisher Comments
This remarkable memoir of immigration and assimilation provides a rare view of urban life in Chicago in the late 1800s by a newcomer to the city and the Midwest, and the nation as well. Francis O'Neill left Ireland in 1865. After five years traveling the world as a sailor, he and his family settled in Chicago just shortly before the Great Fire of 1871.
As O'Neill looked back on his life, writing in Chicago at the age of 83, he could give first-hand accounts of Pullman strike of 1894, the railway strike of 1903, and the packinghouse strike of 1904.

He could also reflect on the corruption that kept him, in spite of his innovations, extremely high exam scores, and performance, subject to powerful aldermen who prevented his advance as a member of the Chicago Police Department. Despite these obstacles, O'Neill eventually rose to be chief of police--a position from which he could enact much-needed civil service reform. In addition to his professional success, O'Neill is also remembered and beloved for his hobby, preserving traditional Irish music.

O'Neill's story offers perspective on the inner workings of the police department at the turn of the twentieth century. His memoir also brings to life the challenges involved in succeeding in a new land, providing for his family, and integrating into a new culture. Francis O'Neill serves as a fine documentarian of the Irish immigrant experience in Chicago.

Single-Payer Health Insurance - get a "Second Opinion"

For more information on single-payer health coverage, get A Second Opinion: Rescuing Americas' Health Care: A Plan for Universal Coverage Serving Patients Over Profit By Arnold S. Relman. John Presta.

Publisher Comments
The U.S. health care system is failing. It is run like a business, increasingly focused on generating income for insurers and providers rather than providing care for patients. It is supported by investors and private markets seeking to grow revenue and resist regulation, thus contributing to higher costs and lessened public accountability. Meanwhile, forty-six million Americans are without insurance. Health care expenditures are rising at a rate of 7 percent a year, three times the rate of inflation. Dr. Arnold Relman is one of the most respected physicians and health care advocates in our country. This book, based on sixty years experience in medicine, is a clarion call not just to politicans and patients but to the medical profession to evolve a new structure for healthcare, based on voluntary private contracts between individuals and not-for-profit, multi-specialty groups of physicians. Physicians would be paid mainly by salaries and would submit no bills for their services. All health care facilities would be not-for-profit. The savings from reduced administrative overhead and the elimination of billing fraud would be enormous. Health care may be our greatest national problem, but the provocative, sensible arguments in this book will provide a catalyst for change.

A note from ARNOLD RELMAN
I wrote this book because I had to. During more than sixty years as a physician, I have seen the practice of medicine transformed from what was primarily a profession to what is now mainly a business. I have seen our health care system change from a social service to a rapidly growing industry that consumes almost a sixth of our economy and is straining the resources of all who must pay for its services.

I have been privileged to enjoy a uniquely varied professional career as a medical practitioner, consultant, educator and researcher, an officer or trustee in national societies and health care institutions, a medical journal editor and, most recently, a member of a state medical licensing and regulatory board. All of this experience has convinced me that American health care, despite its scientific and clinical achievements, is failing to meet some of its most important obligations to society. I believe that certain major reforms are urgently needed, and that the public and the profession, when they understand the facts, will want these reforms.

This book describes what has been happening to our health care system, explains why I am persuaded it must change substantially, and suggests the direction these changes should take. It is a personal manifesto, I suppose, but it is also intended to be a fact-based, readable assessment of one of our greatest domestic problems. If I have done my job, this book should be a useful resource for the many coming debates on health care policy.

About the Author
Dr. Arnold S. Relman is Professor Emeritus at Harvard Medical School and the former Editor-in-Chief of the New England Journal of Medicine. He received his M.D. from Columbia University in 1946, and has taught at distinguished medical schools including Boston University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University. He was appointed by The White House to serve on the Health Professionals Review Group and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to serve on the Board of Registration in Medicine. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.Dr. Arnold S. Relman is Professor Emeritus at Harvard Medical School and the former Editor-in-Chief of the New England Journal of Medicine. He received his M.D. from Columbia University in 1946, and has taught at distinguished medical schools including Boston University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University. He was appointed by The White House to serve on the Health Professionals Review Group and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to serve on the Board of Registration in Medicine. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Chicago author and mystery writer, Libby Fischer Hellmann, will be reading and discussing Chicago Blues: A New Collection of Short Stories About the Real Windy City, published by Bleak House Books and a collection Libby edited, with contributions from some of Chicago's best crime fiction writers. The event will be held at the Beverly Branch Library located at 2121 W. 95th Street, on Saturday, November 17 at 11:00 am (immediately following the Reading on Walden Book Discussion Group meeting).

Some of the contributing writers include Stuart Kaminsky, Sara Paretsky, Barbara D'Amato, Max Allan Collins, Marcus Sakey, Sean Chercover, JA Konrath, Libby Fischer Hellmann and Kris Nelscott.

Publishers Weekly calls the collection a “Classy, impressive volume that has soul, grit, and plenty of high notes…”

This event is co-sponsored by the Beverly Branch Library and Reading on Walden Bookstore, a community online bookseller. You can order this book at Reading on Walden's web site and you can call in your book order to 773-233-7633. they can also be reached by email at readingonwalden@att.net.

I read "Profiles in Courage," and Senator Craig you are no "Profile in Courage"

The book written by John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Profiles in Courage, was a profile of selected United States Senators who placed their career and political life on the line for an issue or a series of issues. Some lost their seats for standing up for their beliefs. The Senators cited in Profiles in Courage were John Quincy Adams from Massachusetts, Daniel Webster from Massachusetts, Thomas Hart Benton from Missouri, Sam Houston from Texas, Edmund Ross from Kansas, Lucius Lamar from Mississippi, George Norris from Nebraska and Robert A Taft from Ohio.

Unfortunately, Senator Larry Craig from Idaho is not cut from the same cloth as these other distinguished gentleman. Senator Larry Craig, you are not a "Profile in Courage." Then Senator John F. Kennedy could not have included you in his book.

It is not the alleged act that occurred in the Minneapolis Airport bathroom stall. What he did or didn't do there is not relevant any longer. Senator Craig needs to come clean with his constituents, his family, but most of all, himself. The Senators that I listed that Kennedy wrote about had courage: both political and personal courage. The dictionary defines courage as "the ability to do something that frightens one."

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "Do something everyday that frightens you."

It is not too late, Senator. It matters little to me if Senator Craig resigns or retains his seat in the United States Senate. Don't do it for me. Do something special for yourself. It is scary, I know. John Presta.