Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-11-26
The
Rambler
Recalls
Presidents Wit
By GEORGE KENNEDY


nedy succeeded IN getting his
audience rocking with waves
Of laughter with a succession
Of pertinent quips-some-
thing every candidate would
like to do.
But his best laugh was
gained by achieving surprise
in the middle of his talk,
which was a serious one on
the nature of the presi-
dency.
President Eisenhower, he
noted, had expressed dislike
for the word politics" at an
early news conference.
But Lincoln "loved politics
with the passion of a born
practitioner"
He stayed up all night in
1858 waiting for the returns
from Ohio.
When the Union candidate
for Governor was elected,
Lincoln telegraphed him:
GLORY be to God in the
highestl Ohio has saved the
Nation"
Then Senator Kennedy
slipped in this remark which
was not in the prepared
text:
II was tempted to send a
similar wire TO Ohio myself. I"
HE ALWAYS TOPPED the
entertainers at the big news
paper dinners-the Gridiron,
which has amateurs, and the
White House Press Cores
pondents, which has profess
SIGNALS from TV, screen and
stage.
At the last Gridiron, with
the Chief Justice and most
of his associates in atten-
dance, President Kennedy
said:
Chief Justice Warren has
assured me that my school
bill Is very constitutional. 1t
hasn't got a prayer"
At the last White House
Press dinner he presented a
testimonial to Merrim a n
Smith Of uP1, who had been
reelected president of the
association after a hiatus of
20 years.
As senior press association
correspondent 1t is Mr..
Smiths role to end the press
conferences promptly after
a half hour by saying
Thank you. Mr.. President" "
He used it as the title of a
book on the presidency which
became a best seller.
In making the preSenta-
ton Mr.. Kennedy said:
IT hope, when I retire from
office, TO write a book,
Thank you, Mr.. Smith"
o.
ANY PRODUCER of the
performing arts would envy
his ability to make a good
show of his press confer
ences. It was an unusual one
that did not have a laugh
everyone could join in.
It's hard TO believe the
shows over; he was so much
alive, so alert. so quick with
the pointing finger that rec
ognized a questioner. His
color was always good, rudy,
and while no one would call
him a red head, his hair al
ways had a surprisin g
amount of red in it which
the TV lights brought out.
He was so young.
At a press conference in
September he was asked:
mfr. President, two books
have been written about you
recently. One by Hugh Sidey
has been criticized as being
too uncritical; the other, by
Victor Laskey, as, being too
critical of you.
How would you review
them, if you have read
them?"
The Presidents a nsw ell
was:
81 thought Mr.. Sidey was
critical, but I have not read
all of Mr.. Laskey, except ]
have just gotten the flavor Of
it.
81 have seen it highly
praised by Mr.. (RoScoe)
Drummond (of the New York
Herald Tribune) and Mr.
(Arthur) Krock (of the New
York Tines and others, 81
I am looking forward tt
reading it because the part
have read is not as brilliant
as I gather the rest OF it is
from what they say about 1t.
Not long ago he was asked
to comment on the recen
conventions of the Youni
Republicans and the YounI
Democrats. The Young Re
publicanS had passed reSolu
tons indorsing many of tn
John Birch Society's idea
and the Young Democrat