Columns

A sad political truth: Parties in power may change, but politicians never do. After years of being on the outside and finally gaining the majority, what do Georgia Republicans do? Start acting like the arrogant Democrats they replaced. Gov. Sonny Perdue gets two sweet land deals that don’t pass the smell test with ordinary Georgians, and a $100,000 tax break to boot. House … [Read more...] about Dec. 11, 2006: Random Thoughts On Random Subjects

To quote one of my all-time favorite singers — Frank Sinatra — crooning one of my all-time favorite songs, “It Was a Very Good Year.” Indeed, it was. The first thing I did every morning this past year was to check the obituaries and see if my name was listed. I am happy to report that it never appeared. The most significant event for me in 2006 was to realize a lifelong … [Read more...] about Dec. 5, 2006: From Obituaries To Art To Apologies, It Was A Very Good Year

I lost a hero last week, and learned a hard lesson in the process. Dr. Bill Inman died at the age of 82. Bill was a physician in Brunswick. To be as prominent and as respected as he was in the community, he had as little ego as any doctor I’ve ever known. If you ever saw the Marcus Welby character on television, you saw Bill Inman, only he was not an actor. He was the real … [Read more...] about Dec. 4, 2006: It Is Time To Say “Thank You” To Those Who Have Helped You

Two significant developments came out of Carl Sanders’ race for governor in 1970 against Jimmy Carter. First, unlike Carter, Sanders refused to compromise his principles in order to get elected. Second, once the election was over, the former governor decided to leave the political arena and devote himself to building his law practice. Today, Troutman-Sanders, which he serves as … [Read more...] about Nov. 27, 2006: More Conversation With Carl Sanders: His Race With Carter And His Legacy

Sometimes you get to do something for free that you would pay for the privilege of doing — like having a two-hour conversation with one of your political heroes, former Georgia Gov. Carl Sanders. He even bought lunch. It doesn’t get much better than that. I got to know Gov. Sanders while he was a member of the board of directors of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic … [Read more...] about Nov. 20, 2006: A Privileged Conversation: Carl Sanders Reflects On His Career And The Current State Of Politics