Presidential historian to bring Abe Lincoln to Beach event

VIRGINIA BEACH

Michael Beschloss finds great irony in the fact that among presidents, perhaps the biggest champion of Law Day was Richard Nixon.

"That's when he wasn't averting the Constitution," said Beschloss, the man Newsweek magazine dubbed "the nation's leading presidential historian."

"We're going to try to do it a bit more sensibly," he said.

This doesn't mean Beschloss believes our nation's laws are above scrutiny.

"My sense of Law Day is it's a time to contemplate the rule of law," said Beschloss, who will share his thoughts tonight at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts. "Let's question some of the laws we have and see if we can make the country better."

The first national Law Day was proclaimed by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1958.

The theme of this year's Law Day Gala is "A Legacy of Liberty - Celebrating Lincoln's Bicentennial." Beschloss is working on a book about Abraham Lincoln's final days.

The author of eight published books, NBC's official historian, and a frequent contributor on PBS, Beschloss offers perspective and a long-range view in an era of instant analysis.

"I think historians are more needed than ever," he said. "I think about one of your great Virginians, Thomas Jefferson. His idea was for a democracy to work, you need time to deliberate, time to get away from the pressures of all the influences from other directions."

As a result, Beschloss demurs when asked about two of today's most popular presidential topics:

How will George W. Bush rank?

How will history remember Bill Clinton?

Beschloss said it takes about 30 years to accurately assess a president, after various e-mails, diaries, letters and declassified documents can be analyzed and partisan sentiment mitigated.

"You have to wait until the discussion moves from politics to history," said Beschloss, who is a registered independent.

This doesn't mean Beschloss won't offer opinions on the here and now, though. Last week, for example, much was made about President Barack Obama's first 100 days in office.

Beschloss said in many cases, a president's most important work occurs well after the 100-day mark. But Obama's initial moves may well stand the test of time.

"When a president comes to power when there's a big crisis or we're at war, he tries to get a lot done quickly," Beschloss said. "Obama's had both. So no matter what happens in the future, it's hard to imagine at least some of his most important things didn't occur within those first hundred days."

Paul White, (757) 418-1447, paul.white@pilotonline.com