ABSTRACT
The members of Congress could not hide their ambition. Many House members wanted to be governors or senators, and most senators saw themselves as future presidents. “This is the most polarized Congress in history.” Hardly. It’s hard to believe, in this day and age when there are so few moderates in Congress and such reluctance to compromise, but things have been a lot worse. As a senator, Byrd chose his words with great care. Sometimes he would hesitate for several minutes before answering a question. One could almost see the wheels of his mind pondering different answers before settling on the one he thought best. The Carter folks had been unhappy with Charlie Mohr and Jim Wooten, two experienced reporters who were models of journalistic rectitude. Despite the enormous achievement, the Carter White House was totally disorganized. Jody Powell, the press secretary, would cancel news conferences several times a day.
