<p><span class="deck"> Martin Van Buren, Andrew Jackson’s right-hand man, was a master of political intrigue who let nothing block his one unwavering ambition—the Presidency. But sometimes he was too smart for his own good</span> </p>
<p>The American system of choosing a President has not worked out badly, far as it may be from the Founding Fathers’ vision of a natural aristocracy </p>
<p><span class="deck">Declaring himself a “thorough democrat” George Caleb Bingham portrayed the American voter with an artist’s eye—and a seasoned politicians savvy</span> </p>
<p><span class="deck"> <span class="typestyle"> One man measures his life-span against the length of recorded history and finds tidings of comfort and hope</span> </span></p>
