An afternoon with Helen Thomas

[DFW]

I just got back to my brother's house from Washington. We spent a good part
of the afternoon with our convalescing friend, Helen Thomas. We talked about
all sorts of stuff, and she let us in on a few things we had never known. She
knew I had been in Denver, so she told me a story about the 1960 convention that
I had never known. It seems that Lyndon Johnson, once it was clear that Kennedy
would be the nominee, was determined to stay on as majority leader (are you listening,
Hillary?), as that was where he saw himself as most powerful. Sam Rayburn, who was
Speaker of the House, had told LBJ to stay put, even if JFK offered him the VP spot.
Kennedy knew that he would have an unruly ally at best if he won and LBJ were to stay
on as Senate majority leader. He told Rayburn to tell Johnson that he would have to
accept the VP spot, or else lose the next election for Senate majority leader. LBJ
said, "but yesterday, you said I could stay on as Majority Leader!" Rayburn apparently
replied, "That was yesterday."

She also told us about running into "Jeff Gannon." The rest of what we talked about was
mostly current events, which I won't go into, as her profession depends on what she
writes about current events, and it is her decision to write what she wants about that
without me compromising her decision on what her words are about that. We also went over
old times, as she was a close colleague of my father's for forty years or so.

We were joined for the last hour by Jessica Lee, who was a respected Washington journalist
before she had a brain aneuyrism. She survived it, but just barely. Jessica was also a
close colleague of my father's and Helen's, but for much less time, of course, as she is
younger even than I am. We met Jessica in 1995, and only see her sporadically. She and
Helen are still quite close. With Jessica, we went over voting patterns, and what Obama
needs to win, electoral tactics, etc etc.

Helen still can barely walk, but is absolutely determined to be there in January, asking
President Obama the first uncomfortable questions of his first term in office! She is
88 years old, and absolutely remarkable.

Helen said to say hi to the DU by the way!! So, for Helen, :hi: DU!!!

Helen with my brother and myself:

Helen with Jessica Lee:

[Rainbowreflect]

1. Thanks, I love Helen, a true patriot!

[Hissyspit]

2. Hello, Helen, and hello, DFW!

Was a wild week, no?

The Rethugs would love to have as exciting a convention, eh?

Concern and luck to all our Gulf Coast DUers on the move and to those who are staying put on the fringes.

[DFW]

13. A wild week it was!

I'm experiencing a little reality vertigo. Saturday a week ago, I was packing
up to leave Cape Cod. then the flight to Denver, meeting up with you guys and
all the rest, and then back home to Dallas for a day, and on up here to see my
brother and Helen. Tomorrow up to New York to see my sister and my daughters,
and then Wednesday back to Germany, where I'll get to see my wife for the first
time in twelve days (way too long).

I thing the Rethugs are trying like hell to figure out just what kind of a convention
they want to have. I mean, just what is it they are going to celebrate? The end of
the Bush era? Oops, no, that's OUR celebration, and WHAT a celebration. We get
Sheryl Crow and Stevie Wonder, and they get Kelsey Grammer? I think even they know
who gets the better end of that deal. Now the only thing they have on their minds is
how to exploit the misery that Hurricane Gustav will bring. The cynicism of their
convention planners compared with the optimism of ours. The more aware among them
will surely have noticed.

[malaise]

3. Thanks for the update and pix

K & R

[emilyg]

4. Hello Helen.

[bluesmail]

5. tThank you. That put a big smile on my face. In a time when

smiles are a rare commodity. :)

[mzmolly]

6. It's kind of you to share your moments with Helen (and Jessica) here DFW.

Thank you.

I love the pics. Helen looks both youthful and healthy.

[DFW]

14. I was expecting much worse.

She has been through quite an ordeal, and at 88, it must have taken just
an incredible amount of willpower to fight it and bounce back. But she
was her old self, just happy to talk about the things that really matter
in this world, and deplore those things that still need fixing. Under the
circumstances, she looked great, and the last thing we said was "see you in
January!"

We have every intention of it.

[mzmolly]

22. Very nice.

I hope I hear about your visit in January DFW. I expect that we'll all be celebrating our new President Barack Obama. :hi:

[lonestarnot]

7. Helen looks great in those pics! Thanks so much for sharing!

:hi:

[Blue Diadem]

8. Thank you DFW! Helen looks beautiful!

She's such a special lady.

[SeattleGirl]

9. Thank you for this, DFW!

And hello back to Miss Thomas! :hi:

[hootinholler]

10. TEH UNDERGROUND LOVES HELEN!

:loveya:

-Hoot

[GardeningGal]

11. K & R for Helen. n/t

[Suich]

12. What an absolutely thrilling way to

spend an afternoon! Thanks!

:yourock:

[EFerrari]

15. She looks great. That's the best news.

:)

[DFW]

16. She was a little thin, but otherwise the old Helen

Her legs have atrophied from the months of being laid up (her own
words were "a train wreck"), but she has daily physical therapy and
a walker, and a will of some extraterrestrial substance that can
bend titanium-reinforced steel.

Good news, indeed.

[progressoid]

17. Go Helen!!

[Hekate]

18. Tell Helen for me that for months I have had this vision of Obama's inaugural with her there...

... and Senator Kennedy, and Obama's grandma Toot (although from what he says it seems like Toot really won't be able to travel that far).

It's a sustaining picture in my mind, because Helen Thomas and Ted Kennedy are lions from an era where it seemed improbable that this would ever happen in their lifetime. I so want them to be there. :patriot:

Thank you so much, DFW, for sharing this with us. :yourock:

Hekate

[DFW]

19. Ted Kennedy has the same kind of tumor as my brother-in-law

My BIL has had four operations, odd chemo, cortisone, you name it. But
you can't say it was a waste. According to the first diagnosis, he
should have been dead nearly 2 years ago. The will to live is
sometimes so strong, it beats out all odds. At some point, nature
always wins, but it doesn't always have to be the first time around.

That hall in Denver thundered when Teddy Kennedy took the podium. It
would have been inappropriate for an active journalist to speak at a party
convention, and Helen is not up for long-distance travel yet, but I
know that hall would have thundered for her as well.

Knowing Helen, she would have given them hell for doing so, too. She
is one of a kind, and she just wants to talk about things other than
herself, as most true heroes do.

[Lugnut]

20. Hi Helen!

:hi:

Thank you so much, DFW. How sweet it would be to see Ms Thomas ask the first question of the newly sworn-in President Obama.

I hold on to the hope of someday seeing news journalists return to the Helen Thomas model of asking tough questons.

[DFW]

23. I hope you are right on both counts

I think we have a greater chance of the first occurring than of the second.

The appointment of FCC Commissioner, ordinarily a boring appointment, will
now become one of the most significant the new president will make.

[LuckyLib]

21. May she be there at the WH in January, front and center. And Obama will no doubt be the first to

break into applause to honor Ms. Thomas on her "return to work."

You go, Helen. You are an inspiration to my 85 year old mother (who has loved you for decades), me, and my 20 year old daughter.

[DFW]

24. And you know what Helen will do?

She will say, "Thank you, Mr. President," and then zap him with a difficult
question on Iraq that he wasn't expecting. If Helen gets back on the job,
she'll do her job!! And Obama will grimace and smile, because he knows this
is how it should be.

[ColbertWatcher]

25. Kick on behalf of the whole Colbert Nation! n/t

[Rhiannon12866]

26. Incredible post! Rec'd it and now kicking! But, I have a question...

What did Helen have to say about James Dale Guckert?! LOL. You left us hanging...:D

And our best wishes, always, to Helen. Saw her documentary last week, twice, LOL, and it was terrific, just like her, one of our heroes...:patriot: