It is a well kept secret of American History that the second President to be impeached was the ill fated James Buchanan. Long regarded as the worst President until the advent of the peanut farmer from Georgia, James Buchanan was in fact an able diplomat serving as both an ambassador and Secretary of State. A secret homosexual he lived as a closeted gay man with his love the Vice President William Rufus King until he unfortunately died from the precursor to the AIDS virus.
This was not the reason for his impeachment because King had been long dead before Buchanan was elected President. The actual charge was witchcraft. It was alleged that President Buchanan participated in a Black Mass in the White House performed by a Russian Orthodox priest he had met when he was Ambassador to the Tsar. Along with his fondness for cats and his refusal to wear anything other than black it was enough for John C. Calhoun to denounce him and accuse him of being witch. Happily the move to impeach him was squashed when Senator William Breckenridge proved that Buchanan was not a witch but was in fact a "Silly bitch." Buchanan's gratitude to Breckenridge led to his endorsement in the election of 1860 which of course led to the Civil War.
(Impeach This... The History of Impeachment by Doris Kearns Goodwin)
5 comments:
Goodwin is a national treasure. Plus she has a MasterClass.
Okay Troop, I just had a "poetic" moment so I'm going to stick it here even though it has nothing to do with nothing here:
A Moment Only
"You blew it"
The man said to himself
While checking another meaningless book
Out of the library,
And then went on his way
Still
Needless to say
Full of self-love.
This scans better:
A Moment Only
"You blew it"
The man said to himself
While checking another meaningless book out of the library
And then went on his way
Still - needless to say - full of self-love.
That's the immortal Paul Lynde:
Why can't they be like we were, perfect in every way, what's the matter with kids today?
Second?
Who was first? Adams?
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