A Higher Loyalty

This book by former FBI Director James Comey received much hype. It was officially released on Tuesday, April 17, 2018. Excerpts and advanced copies began trickling out the previous Thursday and Friday. James Comey was also interviewed at length on Sunday the 15th. Of course, the news accounts and interview concentrated on the more salacious and sensational sections and quotes from the book. Especially those relating to President Trump. For all the pundits saying the book included/leaked classified information, I'll point out that it was submitted to the FBI for review prior to publication. 

This is my review of the book. I read the whole thing, not just the juicy parts. I am always amazed at how many pundits and talking heads are quick to criticise or praise a book based entirely on a single passage or two. Often they admittedly have not read the book and even brag that they will not read it. 

The preface concentrates on Comey's view of ethics and comes off a little preachy. My main take on the introduction is his disdain for the toxic partisanship of Washington, Congress in particular. 

This is an autobiography and not simply an account of his dealings with Trump. Although not strictly chronological, the book basically starts in Comey's youth and proceeds through school and his career. From grocery store stock boy through college, clerking, private law, US Attorney office stints, Deputy Attorney General, private law again, and finally FBI Director. He does harken back to defining events in his youth when discussing events in his professional life. 

Comey and his younger brother endured a home invasion by who was thought to be a serial rapist. Noone wound up physically hurt but it was obviously a traumatic experience. He was a self-admitted nerd in high school. Despite his height, he did not play basketball or other sports. He says he was bullied but when he got to college (William & Mary) he joined a group that bullied an outsider. One of his youth mentors and examples was a grocery store manager when Comey was a stock boy. He referred back to him several times.

After law school and a brief stint at a law firm, Comey went to work at the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York office. Rudy Guiliani was the US Attorney. Comey is not complimentary of Guiliani or his dictatorial and ego-driven management style. Comey worked on some Mafia cases while there. 

He next went to the Virginia US Attorney's Office. It was then back to New York as the US Attorney. While there the Martha Stewart case was prosecuted. He next went to Washington as the Deputy Attorney General to Attorney General John Ashcroft, appointed by George W. Bush. During that stint, he was involved with the Scooter Libby case, the NSA illegal spying crisis, the Abu Ghraib prison incident, and the waterboarding issue. He butted heads with Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice and other White House hardliners who were in favor of illegal spying and torture. 

After a returning to private practice for a few years, he was tapped by Barack Obama to head the FBI. Of course, we are familiar with some of the big cases during his tenure. Those include the Ferguson, MO. police shooting, the iPhone data encryption issues, and of course the Clinton email fiasco. 

Based on Comey's view and account of the Clinton email case, the FBI and he were put into an untenable situation. Investigating a presidential candidate in an election year is tricky. The Bureau doesn't want to influence the election, yet they also don't want crimes and criminals to get off the hook. Contrary to popular opinion, there are no special rules or policies about conducting investigations during an election year. There are some unwritten precedents that they try not to influence an election. I won't recount that whole mess, but Comey says in retrospect he would not substantially change his handling of the situation. He contends that the Department of Justice and Attorney General Loretta Lynch abdicated their involvement in the investigation. The fact that he pissed off first the Republicans and then the Democrats should be an indication that although you may not agree with him it is hard to complain about bias.  

Then we come to Trump's election and the beginning of the end for Comey. They first met before the inauguration. Comey was part of the intelligence briefing at Trump Tower about Russian interference in the election and then afterward in a meeting with just the two of them, disclosed the Steele dossier. During the initial intelligence briefing, Trump was mainly concerned that there was no evidence that Russia had an effect on the vote. Then his team began planning for a press release. 

For the most part, the details in the book match what has been reported by other sources. There were no big surprises although there were some additional detail plus the thinking behind the decisions. 

Overall I enjoyed the book. I found it an easy read. Although many of the events in the book are well known and documented, the view from an insider is helpful. As is the case in most autobiographies, the author, Comey in this case, comes off somewhat better and more altruistic than his adversaries. I would bet that he is not quite as altruistic as depicted and some he butted heads with are not quite as bad.    

I doubt that in our fractured and partisan times that many people will change their views and beliefs about Comey, Trump, Clinton or any of the other characters or events in the book. One thing I can say with certainty. You will not get a good sense of the book by listening to the talking heads on TV from either side of the political spectrum. 

I recommend giving it a read and making up your own mind. 

wjh

Johnny Carson

I just read a book simply titled Johnny Carson that was written by Henry Bushkin. If you were a fan of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, you may remember Carson making jokes about Bombastic Bushkin. For the sake of the joke, Bushkin may have been portrayed as Johnny's accountant, financial adviser, lawyer or any number of other professions. In actuality Bombastic Bushkin was based on a real person. That person is the author, Henry Bushkin, who was officially Carson's lawyer for 18 years. The book is about their years together that spanned from 1970 to 1988.

Henry Bushkin was much more than a lawyer to Johnny. He was part confidant, agent, manager, adviser, tennis partner, enabler, drinking buddy, fixer, employee, companion, business partner, gopher and yes, even lawyer. When he was hired by Carson he was a 27 year old relatively inexperienced entertainment lawyer. His first duties were to accompany Johnny and a couple of others on a raid of Joanne Carson's, aka Mrs. Johnny Carson, secret apartment. The purpose of the raid was to find evidence of Joanne's infidelity. According to Bushkin, they found the place furnished with items from the Carson's apartment, women's and men's clothing, not Johnny's, and pictures of Joanne and Frank Gifford. The raid may have been illegal although technically Johnny was paying for the apartment. This all ultimately led to the Carson's divorce. It also led to Bushkin becoming Johnny's lawyer and a member of a very small Carson inner circle. One of his first tasks was to represent Johnny in the divorce from Joanne.

While it is obvious that Bushkin admired Johnny, basked in his glow and profited greatly from their relationship, he exposes many of the warts in Carson's life. It was a complicated life full of contradictions. That charming, witty, funny, midwestern host of The Tonight Show was far less charming off the air. Bushkin paints Johnny as a selfish and often nasty person. One who failed miserably at marriage, parenthood and friendship. An alcoholic who had issues with commitment and fidelity. A paranoid loner who once crossed, whether real or just perceived, held a grudge for life. A person who could be extremely charming to your face but also just as easily extremely nasty. It all depended on the mood du jour or state of intoxication. Because of his personality, wealth and power, Johnny was able to play by his own rules rules and live his life differently than the common folks. 

There is no need to go into the details of their time together. That's what the book is for.  There are many adventures documented, although very little about The Tonight Show. I will say that Bushkin was not an innocent bystander during that time. He philandered right along with Carson whether either of them was married, involved or single. There is no way to know if the misadventures portrayed are the whole truth, the edited version or complete fabrications. While admitting to errors and mistakes, Bushkin depicts himself as mostly the good guy who was just taking care of his client and friend. 

Henry Bushkin & Johnny Carson

According to Bushkin, the end of his relationship with Johnny took place in a three minute meeting that ended with a handshake. They spoke only once after that. Carson later accused and sued Bushkin for malpractice and a few other things. After four years of litigation Bushkin won a $17 million settlement and kept his law license. It is a little murky as to whether Bushkin betrayed Carson or did anything illegal or unprofessional. It is obvious that he made some careless and stupid mistakes, especially for a lawyer. It was a messy situation and Bushkin lost his stake in Carson Productions which owned The Tonight Show and some other entertainment properties. Carson Productions is still making money from the DVD's and rebroadcasts of Tonight Show videos. 

I've read eight or ten books about Johnny and The Tonight Show. While some of the details and interpretations of this book should be taken with a grain of salt, the general tone seems right. Johnny was the best ever at hosting late night TV. He was also not very successful at being a happy or pleasant human being. A very flawed person. Although the Carson estate was estimated at around $450 million at his death, he was virtually alone. He was separated from his fourth wife, had almost no relationship with his two remaining sons and almost no friends. He did leave much of his estate to charity.

The book is a good read but don't open the covers if you want to preserve your image of Johnny Carson as the funny, congenial, every man host who came into your living room or bedroom after the late local news. Sometimes our heroes have warts but they can still be our heroes. If there is a show about Johnny, a rerun or clip of The Tonight Show, I'll watch it and there's a 99.99% chance that I'll laugh out loud and enjoy it. His personal life won't be a factor. He provided 30 years of great entertainment. That's enough for me. It's sad that someone who brought so much laughter and enjoyment into the world for others was unable to find peace and happiness in his own life. RIP Johnny.

wjh 

It's True, I Swear

by Bill Holmes

This blog was originally published 01/01/2013 in the Viewpoint.

This week I was reminded of something I knew but that you always have to be vigilant about.  That something is that you can't believe everything you hear, read or see.  No source is totally accurate.  Not newspapers, radio, TV, Internet, movies, books, friends, email or gossip can be totally trusted nor totally dismissed.  You have to check stuff.  You should first give it a brain check.  Does it even make sense? Even if it does, find another source or two to verify or debunk the information.

Nowadays the biggest source for both information and misinformation is the Internet.  TV runs a close second with the competition to be first with the information among the numerous news and fake news outlets.  If I see a friend on Facebook or email spreading a myth or falsehood, I'll point it out.  I hope to do it tactfully but I'm sure I fail sometimes.  I'm pretty sure I'll continue to do that and I hope my friends will correct any misinformation I disseminate. 

One of my signals to check a story is when it contains a bunch of superlative adjectives and adverbs.  When there are many biggest, most, worst, least, first, last, lowest, fastest, greatest type words in the story, my radar lights up.  This may surprise you, but some things are just average. They are not the most or least, biggest or smallest, best or worst.  Other clues are when what looks like a huge story comes my way via an email or FB post but failed to show up in the newspaper or TV news.  I know the established media is not completely objective and they miss, delay or suppress some stories but if it's really big and important someone will report it.  Check the date of the original source too.  I've seen chain emails that portend to be current cutting edge but contain information that is years old and has been debunked multiple times.

Why am I bringing this up now?  It is because I just read a book that I found was mostly a fabrication.  During the holidays I've been reading biographies.  I've read about Willie Mays, Jay Leno, Paul Shaffer, Ed McMahon and Brian Wilson.  Baseball, late night TV and music are three of my favorite subjects.  Willie was and still is my favorite baseball player, Ed McMahon was the sidekick of the best ever late night TV host (Johnny Carson), Jay Leno inherited the the Tonight Show from Johnny (a terrible mistake), Paul Shaffer is band leader and sidekick for David Letterman on The Late Show and Brian Wilson was the founder and creative force of the Beach Boys.  His were the songs of my youth.  So you see, I had a good reason to read all those books.  With the exception of the Mays and Shaffer books, the others are 10 or 20 years old.  There's a reason for that.  I frequently shop at a place called Half Price Books.  It's mostly a used book store that sells a few new books plus used magazines, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes and vinyl records.  In other words, it is a great place. The Mays biography is “authorized” but not co-written.  The other three are supposedly autobiographies but have co-writers too.  

I've read several articles and books about Willie Mays and Johnny Carson.  I also was around when they were still plying their trade so I have some first hand knowledge of their greatness.  I grew up in the 60's in Florida so of course I know about Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys.  If I'm not busy I usually watch Letterman.  I never was a Jay Leno fan and his autobiography confirmed why.  To me, he's not funny or interesting.

 Based on my experience and knowledge I think the Willie, Ed, Paul and Jay books are relatively true.  I'm sure some incidents are embellished and some suppressed.  If you write a book or a blog, you get to express your viewpoint, emphasize the positive, and reduce the negative. Conversely, the Brian Wilson book appears to be a complete fabrication.  Too bad, I would like to know the story of one of our true musical geniuses.  One who came to prominence when I was a teen surfer in Florida.  Everyone I hung out with was a Beach Boys fan.  We had the surfer bangs (now impossible for me), surf boards, baggy shorts and absolutely no woodies (the cars, not the ones in our pants).

Here's the deal. I read all 390 pages of “Wouldn't It Be Nice, My Own Story” by Brian Wilson with Todd Gold.  I have read and heard a million stories about the Beach Boys over the years.  I've seen them perform live over a half dozen times.  I read stuff about them as it was happening.  Now, years later I found this book at a used book store.  After sitting on my shelf for a few months, it percolated to the top of the stack this month.

It's a tough book to read for those that remember the fun music of the Beach Boys.  From 1962 until 1966 there was no bigger musical group.  Between '62 and '65 they produced 10 albums.  Then Brian Wilson burned out and went nuts.  Drugs, sex and rock & roll took over.  So, here's the review.

The book “Wouldn't It Be Nice” was published in 1991.  It was pawned off as an autobiography by Brian Wilson.  The first half is a review of his life and the Beach Boys from the early '60s through the early '70s.  Brian is an amazing musical force who produced a whole new sound that some of us grew up with.  He also had a tough childhood with an impossible father.  The second half of the book became a tribute to his psychologist, Dr. Eugene Landy.  I knew Brian was a mess and I knew about Dr. Landy.  As I read the book, I wondered about several things.  I wondered why nobody called a lawyer when it seemed appropriate.  I wondered why Dr. Landy gave up his license to practice rather than fight the charges.  The book said it was because Brian was too fragile to testify on Landy's behalf.  I wondered why everyone who was related or close to Brian hated Dr. Landy.  Why they chose to go to court to extricate Landy from Brian's life.  Still, it was an alleged autobiography by Brian.  When I finished reading it, Brian was cured and Dr. Landry was a saint.  Carl Wilson (his brother), Mike Love (his cousin) and Al Jardine (original Beach Boy) were demons.  His ex-wife and children were either glossed over, ignored or also in the enemy camp.  The next time the litigation got going, Landy again acquiesced and disappeared.

It seems Dr. Landy might have been a charlatan.

I don't often question books like I do newspapers, TV or Internet stuff.  This time I did because the book was so one-sided and didn't jibe with my memory.  I also thought that the recent 50^thanniversary reunion of the Beach Boys could not possibly have happened if the book was true. There was just too much bad blood among the Beach Boy members.  After I finished reading the book, I did some research.  It turns out that the book was a PR publication by Dr. Landy.  The book was copyrighted by Brains and Genius, a company owned by Landy and Wilson, not by the purported author, Brian Wilson.

One statement I found in my research:

Landy's depiction in glowing terms in the second half of Wilson's autobiography Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story, published that year, would, were it a legitimate autobiography, indicate Wilson's approval of his methods; in an unrelated court case, however, Wilson testified that he had never even read the final draft of the manuscript, much less written any of it.

While reading, I did wonder how a stoned Brian could remember some of the facts in the book.  I also wondered how some of the doctor/patient stuff could be published.  I think all the Wilson stuff published was revealed in supposedly private sessions.

I don't doubt that Landy helped Brian.  For the money he charged and full control, most anybody could have helped.  Brian was a mess.  He needed intervention. Landy charged $35,000 a month plus expenses. 

So the point is be cautious.  There is lots of flotsam and jetsam out there.  Believe what you want but maybe verify first.  It's tempting to pick up stray Internet stuff to support your position.  It's even more important to verify stuff you agree with.  Anybody with a keyboard and an Internet connection can post stuff as “fact”.  Some of it might even be true. 

BTW, I'm still a Willie Mays and Brian Wilson fan.  I always will be.  They are far from perfect, but so am I.  They both rose to the pinnacle of their chosen field at a time I was an impressionable youth.   

Be careful, be vigilant and try not to spread false info.  You never know where the BS will come from.  Every word in this blog post is accurate and absolutely true, I swear.

 wjh