Last night I picked up Robert Caro's Master of the Senate for the first time in years. A massive tome covering Lyndon Johnson's years in the Senate, I had previously read the first third or so. Caro's work is incredible. He has a terribly high degree of tedious detail. There isn't much plot movement. There are a billion characters. And yet Caro manages to dramatically illuminate the workings of power at the national level, frequently pointing out the personal motivations and skills that make the exercise of such power possible. While I can't go back and take notes on the entire book, one thing from last night's reading does stick out. Often success is simply a matter of tending to the details. Johnson took over the tedious tasks of running the senate, often thought to be a useless job. In doing so he turned himself into a resource... an inforesource. From there he makes incredible plays at power that nobody else thought to make. This book is classic. It took Caro more time to research and write this book than the time that the book covers. It's part of a series of books about Johnson's life. Someday I'll certainly get to all of them.
30 Min Swim, 10 Min Stationary Bike
