From My Corner

A Jaw-Dropping Credit Rating

Give me FDR. Give me Reagan. Just put a leader in the White House.

When I first moved down here nearly 30 years ago, I was astonished at the huge role national politics played in day-to-day life. Pick up The Washington Post and political coverage dominated the front page—above the fold! As the political climate has grown ever more contentious, it's no longer a happy astonishment I feel. It's more like the cringing feeling that comes with a dripping faucet or the approach of a co-worker who never, ever has a good word to say about anyone or anything. We've had presidents and hopefuls who couldn't spell, who used the Oval Office for booty calls, viewed the presidency as the perfect time to finally get that passport and placed an understandable premium on family time—all at the expense of their offical …

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American Heritage Gives Lawmakers a History Lesson

Rockville-based magazine sends government leaders essays on great American compromises.

When Edwin S. Grosvenor heard in May 2007 that American Heritage magazine was folding, he took immediate action.  “I called the Forbes family and said 'You can’t do it,'” he said. "'It’s the intellectual equivalent of tearing down Grand Central Station.'”  Fortunately, the Forbes family agreed. Today Grosvenor is publisher of the esteemed publication, now headquartered in Rockville, with Forbes holding a minority interest.  For 60 years, American Heritage has featured prominent historians commenting on important events of the past. For Grosvenor, whose family has been in the publishing business for generations and founded the National Geographic Society, it was a natural reaction to the potential loss of an intellectual landmark. “The …

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