A remainder trove

A friend delighted in sending me this photo he captured at a local charity book sale, its inventory donated by people ready to part with certain volumes.

One might describe it as an image of a bountiful supply of “available” books that have my name on their covers.

I admit to checking out the “remainders” table at bookstores for two reasons. First, to see if I’ve once again escaped the indignity of finding new copies of one of my old books there; and second, to discover an overlooked treasure available at a bargain price.

One of my “remaindered” purchases lingered on my bookshelf for 15 years. Then I finally got around to reading it, and I’m so glad I did.

You’re possibly familiar with Bob Schieffer, who retired 11 years ago from CBS News, long before the “Tiffany Network’s” image was so badly tarnished when its owner paid $16 million to settle Donald Trump’s lawsuit against “60 Minutes.” Schiefer had spent nearly a quarter century as moderator of “Face the Nation,” the network’s laudable public affairs program. Not hard to imagine what he’s thinking these days.

His (remaindered) 2003 book This Just In: What I couldn’t tell you on TV is a winner of a memoir. His personal journal through a journalism career is interesting, but as the network’s chief Washington correspondent, his first-hand observations of important political moments are priceless. They also often carry present-day relevance.

During the final days of the Nixon administration, for instance, extraordinary precautions were taken to prevent a military coup, according to Schieffer. Defense Secretary James Schlesinger even ordered the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff to inform him immediately if President Nixon tried to give direct orders to any of the country’s military commanders around the world.

And Schieffer recounted the prolonged drama and uncertainty surrounding the Year 2000 presidential election, effectively decided in favor of George W. Bush in a 5-4 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court 35 days after the polls closed.

The relevance to these days? Within hours of the high court ruling, Al Gore, the incumbent vice president, conceded.

“It had been long, and bitter and confusing, and the argument over the Court’s decision would continue,” Schieffer wrote. “But the process ended as elections are supposed to end in America. The winner was gracious in victory and, more important, the loser accepted the result.”

Grace in victory is not something we witnessed in 2024. Nor was there a loser’s patriotic acknowledgement of the people’s choice for president in 2020.

Schieffer, now 88, has a connection to Harvard, serving as a fellow at its Kennedy School.

And about those old Vogel books at the charity book sale? I hope somebody bought them. Otherwise, they’ll be on the same table at the next sale; my friend will dutifully photo it and alert me; and I’ll have to put on a disguise and quietly purchase the entire Vogel inventory myself.

Thanks for reading!