We read in the obituaries that she kept him in line, to the extent he stayed in line at all. She sanded down sharp edges, cheered and encouraged him, no doubt sometimes suggested alternative courses of action.
What amazes all these years later are the remembrances of Mrs. Lyndon Baines Johnson's patience and dignity as her husband was assailed and set upon from every side. "Hey, hey, LBJ -- how many kids did you kill today?" It was in the air. We heard it. She heard it.
How much pain she must have felt! How often she must have had to dam up the tears! She triumphed in the end -- dignity and patience over anger and venom of a sort not experienced in America since the 1850s.
She takes her leave of us at a historical moment as steeped in anger and venom, not to mention poisonous accusations and frothing hatreds, as the 1960s: hardly an encouraging precedent. I know how Mrs. Johnson would have met such a moment as First Lady: the same way the present First Lady, Mrs. Bush, meets this moment.
It probably is not remarked often enough how alike are Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Bush, Texans both, in their capacity for civility and graciousness. I hereby remark it -- and go on to grieve at the present squalor of political life, when political opponents -- and I don't mean just practicing politicians -- would more readily perform emergency appendectomies on each other, using rusty can openers, than acknowledge that we're all Americans here. It was precisely the acknowledgement that Lady Bird Johnson seemed to render instinctively as she smiled graciously, shook hands, bestowing honor, and humanity, on friend and foe alike.
The peace of the Lord be always with her... |