Schmoozer"Early in 1961, Russell Baker, then covering Capitol Hill for The New York Times, was coming out of the Senate when he ran into Vice-President Johnson. Johnson grabbed him, cried, 'You, I've been looking for you,' pulled him into his oftice, and began a long harangue about how important he was to the Kennedy Administration and what an insider he really was.
"While talking, he scribbled something on a piece of paper and rang the buzzer. His secretary came in, took the paper, and left the room; she returned a few minutes later and handed the paper back to him. Still talking, LBJ glanced at the paper, crumpled it up, threw it away, and finally finished his monologue. Later Baker learned that Johnson had written on the paper: 'Who is this I'm talking to?'"
Johnson, Lyndon Baines (1908-1973) American politician, 36th president of the United States (1963-69) [noted for his Great Society program (to stimulate economic growth and promote civil rights legislation) and for his escalation of American involvement in the Vietnam War]
[Sources: David Halberstam, The Best and the Brightest]More Lyndon Johnson anecdotesRelated Anecdote Keywords:
Absent-Mindedness Eccentricity Eccentrics Mistaken Identity Names Forgetfulness Awkward Moments
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