Word: instincts
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Haldeman, though by instinct conservative, was at bottom uninterested in policy. Convinced that image defined reality, Haldeman went along with, and frequently encouraged, Nixon's nearly obsessive belief that all his difficulties were caused by inadequate public relations. Nixon never could rid himself of the delusion that only the failings of his media staff kept him from receiving the acclaim he associated with John F. Kennedy. President and chief of staff devoted much time to discussing how to manipulate the press-a doomed quest so long as both rejected a serious dialogue with the hated, feared and secretly envied...
Nixon turned. He seemed composed, almost at ease. He had decided to resign, he said. The Republican leaders had reinforced his instinct that there was not enough support in Congress to justify a struggle. The country needed repose. He could save our foreign policy only by avoiding a constitutional crisis. He would speak to the nation the next evening, Thursday, Aug. 8; he would resign effective at noon Friday, Aug. 9. He hoped I would stay on to continue the foreign policy of which he was so proud...
There are plenty more, and Bellow again demonstrates his keen sense of how all these disparate people are thrown, indeed, bonded together over huge distances and years. Even in this his "dark" book. Bellow shows a strong instinct for seeking out and lauding the crumbs of humanity he finds in the interstices of an inhuman world. The appearance of crowds of Valeria's friends at her funeral dressed in the threadbare finery they saved from the pre-way years is an occasion for quiet joy. And in the give-and-take between Corde and his wife. Bellow demonstrates his acute...
...chamber drama to outsize farce, switches seasons with the speed of a flipped calendar. The plot is simple and scary enough: the son of a Parmesan factory owner (Ugo Tognazzi) agonizes through a search for his son, kidnaped by terrorists of the left. Primo Spaggiari's industry and instinct have made him a millionaire. But as time drags on, and Primo realizes that meeting the ransom demand will mean closing his factory, he begins to believe that everyone around him - his son's girlfriend (the darkly sensual Laura Morante), a radical worker-priest (Victor Cavallo), maybe even Primo...
Destpite the tremendous risk involved none of the Crimson cotspulters would ever consider quitting. Berle described it best: "You defy your instinct and gravity but one you go over that first time you just can't quit. It's addictive...