but of particular note proposing remarks by david mccullough in which he described john adams's quest for knowledge. the greatest gift of all he was certain was the gift of an inquiring mind. he said, quote, have the liberty to think to myself and david mccullough added we face a phone today who believes in and forced ignorance. we don't. [applause] thank you. >> we have time for questions. we have a few minutes for questions. i like that charlotte's web tee shirt. >> i am the grandniece of e.b. white who wrote charlotte's web. [applause] >> two years ago when you were signing your books we talked and you both signed my book and i knew e.b. white's presentation, i always bring your book can't talk on your page where you reference charlotte's webb and i thank you for that children's book. it is wonderful but it is also a wonderful book and thank you for writing it. >> thank you so much. i really appreciate it. >> what was your feeling when you found out you were attacked by one of your own? >> we were covered by one of our own. they were protecting us. what we were talking about revela

with low approval ratings, reviled, humiliated, and 40 years later he is rehabilitated by the david mccullough book and is considered one of the great presidents of the century. the reason was, harry truman left in the middle of a war that was a grinding and losing war, at least a stalemate. i think history will decide it depends on how iraq turns out. if it becomes, like korea, a democracy that is an example in the region, history will judge bush the way judges harry truman. >> remember the pollster peter hart's question, who would you rather have a beer with, george w. bush or the other guy? he got elected. >> for the first time ever, they will say that tobacco products are addictive, and they will say in the bluntest terms that tobacco can tell. -- kill. >> the federal government is going to hammer the point home by notifying you on the packets of cigarettes that they're addictive and can cause cancer and lung disease and can harm your baby. is this big brother, charles? >> it is, and on this i am completely inconsistent. as a physician, i saw the victims of tobacco. the public campaign aga

with the lowest approval, reviled and humiliated. 40 years later he is rehabilitated by the david mccullough book and is considered one of the great presidents of the century. the reason was that he left in the middle of a war that was a grinding war, losing war, at least a stalemate. i think history will decide. it depends on how iraq turns out. if it becomes, like korea, a democracy that is an example in the region, history will judge bush the way a judge is harry truman. >> remember pollster peter hart's question, who would rather have a beer with, george w. bush or the other guy? he got elected. the government takes steps to scare us away from cigarettes. >> but the first time ever, it was a tobacco products are addictive, in the bluntest of firms, that tobacco can kill. >> if you did not already know that cigarette smoke is bad for you, the federal government will hammer the point home by notifying you on the package that cigarettes are addictive and can give you lung disease. is this big brother, charles? >> it is, and on this, i am completely inconsistent. as a physician, i saw the vi

with low approval ratings, reviled, humiliated, and 40 years later he is rehabilitated by the david mccullough book and is considered one of the great presidents of the century. the reason was, harry truman left in the middle of a war that was a grinding and losing war, at least a stalemate. i think history will decide it depends on how iraq turns out. if it becomes, like korea, a democracy that is an example in the region, history will judge bush the way judges harry truman. >> remember the pollster peter hart's question, who would you rather have a beer with, george w. bush or the other guy? he got elected. >> for the first time ever, they will say that tobacco products are addictive, and they will say in the bluntest terms that tobacco can tell. -- kill. >> the federal government is going to hammer the point home by notifying you on the packets of cigarettes that they're addictive and can cause cancer and lung disease and can harm your baby. is this big brother, charles? >> it is, and on this i am completely inconsistent. as a physician, i saw the victims of tobacco. the public campaign aga

i was interested to see the, david mccullough and barbara tuchman. david read american scripture and i think you like it. when i met him he said yes, of course i don't do anything like that. i tell stories. at that hey, i thought i told stories in american scripture. and here was an opportunity to dedicate my skills entirely to telling the story, a rather complicated one, but hey, a story. and then i remembered that i had heard barbara tuchman talked decades ago when i was still a graduate student. in one design of hers really stuck in my mind. she said it was possible to build tension and telling a story, and even if you are readers knew how it would come out. if you only looked carefully, never to mention the outcome or even to elude to it until you came to it at the proper place in your narrative. i thought i wanted to test that. there isn't anyone that doesn't know the constitution was not ratified by the attention if i thought about arbor tuchman's role? when i describe to someone but i wanted to try to do, i recall, so coming you plan to write a

the second meeting david mccullough was there, so we got to talk about john adams and jefferson.earns goodwin was there, and she always likes to talk about john kennedy and lincoln, who the president loves a lot. so, i would think of it -- i don't think we influenced the president. i look at it more that he really does read presidential biography as a hobby, that he had us all come in. it's off the record what we talked about. but there's nothing that secret about it. i talked a lot about theodore roosevelt, because i just wrote a book on t.r. and i found it -- i think he uses it as a form of relaxation. and it helps to remember what other presidents went through. so, i think it's very healthy that the president does this. >> let me ask richard to respond to this. this is from garry wills who wrote this in the new york review of books, just a couple of weeks ago. ”it is time for me to break a silence i have observed for over a year against my better judgment. on june 30, 2009, i and eight other historians were invited to a dinner with president obama and three of his staffers to

at the second meeting, david mccullough was there so we talked about jefferson and and doris kearns goodwin was there. i don't think we influence the president. i look at it as though he really reads presidential biographies as a hobby and he have us come in and be off the record i talked a lot about theodore roosevelt because i just read a book -- wrote a book on him. relaxation for him and it helps to remember what other presidents went through. it is healthy that the president does this. >> let me ask richard to respond to this. this is for mcgarrywills a couple of weeks ago. it is time for me to break a silence i have observed for one year. on june 30, 2009, i and eight other restaurants were invited to dinner with president obama and three of his staffers to tell him what history could teach about conducting the presidency. shortly after, i was asked what went on there. i replied that it was off the record. i have argued elsewhere that the imposition of secrecy to ensure that the president gets candid advice is a cover for something else, making sure that what it said about the people'

try the genre, and i think here i was informed by two masters of that genre, davidda mccullough and barbara tuchman. david read "american scripture," and i think he liked it, butthin when i met him he said, fine book, fine book. of course, i don't do anythingo like that, i tell stories. i thought, i thought i told stories in "american scripture." and here was an opportunity to dedicate my skills entirely to telling a story, a rather complicated one but, hey, a story., and then i remembered that i'd heard barbara tuchman talk, oh, decades ago when i was still a graduate student.cade and one line of hers really stuck in my mind.a she said it was possible to build tension in telling a story even if your readers knew how it wouldst come out if you only worked carefully never to mention the outcome or even to allude to it until you came to it at the proper place in your narrative. i thought i wanted to test that. people -- nobody's -- how does anybody not know that the constitution was not ratified?e could i build up tension inkn telling the story of its narrative if i followed barbara tuchman's rule? when i d