Our (2) Hours of Need: The hand-off - A Chafing Peace (part 3)

It (took) two, too: As in turns out. As I was not only dumb-founded, but in awe-struck. Adding up to humbled, upon reflection, in retrospect. Gaining a whole lot of new respect, admiration even, after I had casted him off as an ineffective leader, as in President. But, upon further reflection and intro-spection...

Critical crucibles: That I heard and then learned about, after I thought I had heard and knew it all, which led to a severe degree of miss-judgement, on both counts. Early and often, throughout the recounting of one man's legacy, on behalf of another...

"Funeral for a Friend" - From...1973...an instrumental that by the accounts I reviewed, was written as the famous composer, Elton John, contemplated what kind of music he would want to be played at his own funeral. Eight years before two former presidents and avid adversaries found themselves at another funeral, at the request of another, then current President Ronald Reagan, to represent U.S. as a collective (along with Richard Nixon). Notably, the funeral for the assassinated Anwar Sadat, whose violent and tragic death was brought about in no small part to the part he played in the "Middle East Peace Process" -- a piece of which was initiated via what became strongly associated with the then Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger -- that of "shuttle diplomacy" -- followed up after an awkward hand-off of the Presidential "football" (which is a play on words, given President Ford's earlier history at U-M but also a serious matter of nuclear codes) and furthered via what I can only term "shutter diplomacy" at Camp David with the persistence of President Carter, given how he characterized the two principals (Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat) -- with ten out of the first thirteen days being spent trying to coax them out of their respective rooms, to at least talk, let along get along, for any sustained periods. Whereas the two, now passed on Presidents, made their own pact, not only to set their previous differences aside, but write, and if surviving the other, read, a eulogy, in person. And, if passed on, handed to the next of kin, to be read posthumously. Both of which have now accomplished, after a friendship was formed and endured, and while forging, let alone sustaining peace elsewhere, including in the Middle East, has continued to be a challenging crucible in deed...and a focus of subsequent world leaders, daring diplomats, and such...

Additional Handlers: to be handled in another, separate post.