bump for later reading.
I think Caro took a more sympathic look at LBJ in the 3rd book as in the 2nd you walked away thinking LBJ was nothing more than a vote stealing scroundel.
When he came to talk here in Seattle some months ago on part of a book tour (and since winning a Book Award I believe he'll be on tour again) he brought up on the radio twice and in his talk again LBJ's helping out of the Mexican janitor down in Patula (Cotula?) when Johnson was a teacher. The "he just wants to help out" became really thin the 3rd time I heard it -- if Caro himself can't find another compassionate moment in LBJ's life then who can?
Ronald Reagan received hundreds of lettersa a day, and answered his mail. In fact, I have a letter from him.
He received a letter from a soldier in Viet Nam during the war asking Reagan to tell his wife he loved her. Several days later Reagan showed up in front of his wife's door. When she opened it he said, "Hello, I'm Ronald Reagan. Your husband loves you." He gave her a dozen roses, smiled, and walked off. Almost nobody knew about it until publication of of the Schweizer book.