A Memory of a Political Convention long ago and far away In the opinion of H. L. Mencken, who didn’t equivocate, “ There is something about a national convention that makes it as fascinating as a revival or a hanging.” I wouldn’t go that far. In my political career, I attended conventions where serious business was done and history was made. The conventions, after all, have a lot to say about the leadership and the direction of the country in the four years after all the balloons have been popped and all the banners have gone into the garbage. There is much about this year’s conventions that is out of the ordinary. But, then, these are not ordinary times. For a long time now, there has been no mystery about the nominees, for President and Vice-President, of both parties. In the absence of suspense, one watches for what the mood of the conventions tell us about each party. With no real drama to absorb my attention, I found myself remembering my first experien
Jean Kennedy Smith r i p I met with her when she was U.S. Ambassador to Ireland and I was in the country, helping to negotiate a cease fire and framework for peace between the rival factions in what were called, euphemistically, as "the troubles." Here are my recollections of that meeting, from my book Citizen Mack : When I left Belfast, I went to Dublin, where I had another experience in peaceful coexistence. I was scheduled to visit the US embassy there and spend time with the ambassador, Jean Kennedy Smith, who was, of course, a member of the Kennedy political family. It seemed unlikely, to say the least, that I—a conser- vative Republican senator from a Southern state—would be able to bond in any way with her. I expected the visit to be strained and formal and that it would seem to drag on forever. Well, the spirit of reconciliation must have been in the air. After I was introduced to the ambassador, we began a bit of awkward small talk and before