Richard Nixon’s Not-Quite-Presidential-Enough Library has long since surrendered to the National Archives. The Nixon’s standalone “we don’t really need his presidential papers” stance collapsed a year ago July when they finally entered the federal government’s warm embrace.
Now they need space for actual documents, you know, like a library! But fear not. As they have so many times, the feds are bailing Nixon out with cash for a new wing!
The Library’s complicated real estate, which a recent visitor says has the National Archives controlling part of the complex and the Nixon Foundation[the leftover of the bad old days] controlling the rest, can only get screwier.
Masked Man Meets Enigma 
Is Nixon selling him stamps?
They may not answer that question, but the Los Angeles Autry National Center is opening a what appears to be a thorough survey of Presidential Cowboy mythology. 
It’s all fun, although while providing a role model for John McCain, 
Theodore Roosevelt seems 
to carry the dress-up further than seems healthy.
Bookish 
Thomas Jefferson continues to get bad press over slavery and his domestic entanglements, but everybody loves a reader!
The Washington Post reports on efforts by the Library of Congress to recreate Jefferson’s library, purchased in the rebuilding of the institution after the British burned much of Washington DC. Much of Jefferson’s library itself burned in a later fire.
The L of C has managed to replicate most of the tomes, and is opening an exhibit to show them off.
Literary Round-Up 
The Library continues to operate the “Thomas” legislative facts and stats site, a tragic leftover from the AskJeevesish 
anthropomorphic era of cute web names.
The New Nixon blog is a last holdout for Nixon loyalists, the brave band who followed him into exile and the world of deferential memorializing.
Frank Gannon is of this band of brothers [Diane Sawyer and Monica Crowley having gone to glory elsewhere], and in the New Nixon Gannon displays once more the epic tone deafness of Nixon and his minions.
Gannon’s post on Politico‘s “50 Greatest Political Moments“starts off making minor harrumphs over Nixon resignation details [at the time of His choosing!], then closes quoting approvingly from Politico‘s tear-stained account of Nixon’s last conversation with his 1968 rival.
On Christmas Day 1977 Hubert”He Showed Us How To Die” Humphrey was literally dying. He called Nixon and they chatted about their pasts. Humphrey assumed Nixon would be spending the holiday with his daughters, but Nixon choked up, confessing that he and Pat were alone. 
The story tells us not much on Humphrey, but a great deal about Nixon’s pathalogical inability to feel any emotion but self-pity.
OOOOOH!
Thanks to the impish pranksters at boingboing for steering us to Adie Russell, who for some reason lip-sinks to old tapes of Richard Nixon among others.
It can only be described as disturbing. 
Nixon appeared on the Merv Griffin Show [Roger Ailes, Producer] as part of his New Nixon build up to 1968. Griffin asked the candidate about being a little shopworn, and Nixon responds with two timeless strategies: praise for the thoughtfulness of the question followed by changing the subject.
“GRIFFIN: But you must be aware of an undercurrent with politicians, with people in our business, even comedians who refer to Richard Nixon as a loser. You have that stigma because of losing two big contests. How do you plan to combat that? You must be aware that that’s been said. It’s been written about in newspapers.
RICHARD NIXON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Sure. I think it’s a legitimate question that should be raised by those who are trying to find the strongest possible candidate and the way you combat it is to win something.”
It’s not in that little transcript snippet I’ve found on-line, but Nixon’s soon off into audience testing early drafts of his ’68 acceptance speech complaint that “when the President of the United States cannot travel abroad or to any major city at home without fear of a hostile demonstration – then it’s time for new leadership for the United States of America.”
