Presidents Day*

From an interesting article at Salon, a passage about the notorious biography of George Washington published by Parson Weems in 1800:

The good parson’s Washington retained his heroic character as president by existing above partisanship when other mortals could not. The “unutterable curses of FACTION and PARTY, rose often in the mind of Washington, and shook his parent soul with trembling for America.” To honor his memory, then, citizens were urged to wake from all pettiness and “fly from party spirit,” which was “the only demon that can prevent favoured America from rising to the greatest and happiest among the nations.”

Political commentary you could have heard yesterday morning on any of the Sunday morning news shows.

*Which is actually still the observance of Washington's Birthday, although his birthday on the Gregorian calendar was February 22.