he writes a letter to the speaker, to majority leader jerry ford, a handwritten note, and gets the bill through the rules committee on to the floor seller never has to touch it, passes it and signs it. >> charlie: what was his genius? >> i think it was, one he knew what he wanted to do. you know, remember, in the 64 civil rights act when -- i wasn't there then, but the story, aids were saying don't send it up in january of '64 it's an election year wait. he said what the hell's the presidency for? send it up. and got it through. he had incredible concentration, focus. i think, you know, back to teaching poor kids in cotula, texas, in the 1928-1929 school year, his driver and his cook used to talk about him to me and others and say, you know, when they'd drive from washington washington, d.c. to texas and the ranch, they'd have to go to toilet on the road, have to go to certain gas stations and couldn't get food in those places around he was determined to change that. >> charlie: that came from what he experienced growing up in the hill country of texas? >> i think so. remember, when joh