Ben Bradlee talked a lot about all the presidents he’s come in contact with over his 50-year career.
There were a lot.
He was funny and engaging, if not a bit scattered. It seemed like he was working without a net sometimes as he was all over the place with his humorous anecdotes about life in the seat of power.
He really liked LBJ. He was friends with Jack Kennedy. He was present at the time someone attempted to shoot Harry Truman.
He didn’t say much about the journalism business as a whole, even when some of the questions tried to get him to make sweeping statements about it.
Oh, and he did like Jason Robards’ portrayal of him in “All the President’s Men.” He didn’t want to admit it, but he did.
The auditorium was packed. It was an entertaining evening.
And no, I didn’t have to go back to class afterward. Well, I did, but nobody was there.