Heart of power

The Heart of Power – Episode 8: The Ticking Man

He knew it was coming. The way a storm announces itself in the bones.The way a man knows the land he’ll die on. Lyndon Baines Johnson had already faced the thing most men spend their lives avoiding: death. It had gripped his chest, dropped him to the bedroom floor of his Texas ranch, and whispered … Read more

The Heart of Power – Episode 7: The Enemy Inside

“The 37th President Is First to Quit Post.” — The New York Times, August 9, 1974 In just a few blunt words, the New York Times closed the book on Richard Nixon. The next morning, standing before a weary nation, Gerald Ford offered something like absolution. In his first speech as president, he spoke a … Read more

The Heart of Power – Episode 6: The Ride Into the Sunset

The sun hung low over the Santa Ynez Mountains, casting long shadows across the California hills. Ronald Reagan sat tall in the saddle, reins loose in his weathered hands. He still rode most mornings—slowly, deliberately—but with the easy grace of a man who had spent a lifetime playing cowboys and governors and presidents, until the … Read more

The Heart of Power – Episode 5: Where Strength Sat Still

Smoke still curled from the wreckage at Pearl Harbor. Across the Pacific, the dead were still being counted—some drowned in burning ships, others incinerated before they could lift a rifle. In Washington, phones rang without rest. Advisers swarmed. The White House throbbed with urgency. Through it all, Franklin Delano Roosevelt sat at his desk, calm … Read more