Foreword by Mario M. Cuomo | xv
Introduction | 1
PART I. THE FIRST AMENDMENT
“Forty-five Simple Words” by Jack Valenti | 5
Bill O’Reilly’s “Character Assassination”: A WVOX Commentary | 8
The Silencing of Imus | 12
Bob Grant on the Imus Controversy | 15
“Don’t Hush Rush . . . ” | 18
Missing in Action by Patrick D. Maines | 21
The Real Obscenity | 24
Floyd Abrams: Notes and Observations on the First Amendment | 26
Free Speech on the Airwaves: Confab with Mario Cuomo | 32
Ambassador Ogden Rogers Reid | 43
Nancy Pelosi v. James Madison | 46
Civil Liberties in an Age of Terrorism | 57
Obsequious Acquiescence by William O’Shaughnessy | 62
Issue Advertising Is the Issue | 69
Re: Corporate Censorship | 71
First Amendment Warriors by William O’Shaughnessy | 72
A Towering Triumvirate | 77
PART II. OPEN MIC RADIO INTERVIEWS
Chris Ruddy, Chairman of Newsmax | 85
Interview with Dan Rather on his Book What Unites Us | 90
Bill Mohl, President, Entergy Wholesale Commodities | 93
Roger Stone on The Man Who Killed Kennedy, the Cuomos, and More | 105
Richard Norton Smith, Historian and Biographer | 115
Angelo Martinelli, Publisher | 137
“The Mendicant,” Father Paul Lostritto, O.F.M. | 147
Bishop Joseph Sullivan | 161
Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York | 170
Dr. Christopher Comfort, Medical Director, Calvary Hospital | 174
Frank Gifford: “#16” | 185
William O’Shaughnessy on the Fred Dicker Radio Show | 188
Alfred F. Kelly Jr. | 191
Gerald Shargel, Esq. | 204
John Cahill | 212
PART III. OF AN EVENING...
A Little Night Music | 231
The Best Interpreters of the Great American Songbook | 234
“A Real New York Evening . . . ” Review | 236
On the Occasion of Sirio Maccioni’s Eightieth Birthday | 237
Sirio Maccioni of Le Cirque | 238
Saloon Songs from Toots Shor to Sirio Maccioni | 249
More “Saloon Songs” (an Update) | 257
“The Numbers” | 264
The One Night Stand of Charles Osgood | 268
PART IV. IN PRAISE OF “VIVID SOULS”
The Unforgettables | 273
A Different Kind of List | 289
Vivid Women in Every Season | 293
Notes for the Four Seasons Tribute Evening | 296
Westchester County Press Ninetieth Anniversary | 299
Richard Clark’s Eightieth Birthday | 301
Judge Samuel Fredman’s Ninetieth-Birthday Celebration | 304
HOPE Community Services Gala: Honoring Frank Endress | 311
Celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the Christian Brothers | 314
A Community Celebration Honoring Commissioner Patrick J. Carroll | 316
PART V. EULOGIES: THE LAST WORD
Eulogy for John S. Pritchard III | 323
Henry Kissinger’s Tribute to John McCain | 326
Philip Roth, Out and About of an Evening | 329
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Eulogy for Jimmy Breslin | 333
A Personal Tribute to Jimmy Breslin | 336
Our Neighbor Ruby Dee | 344
Tribute to Ruby Dee by Harry Belafonte | 346
“A Death in the Family”: Tim Russert | 349
Don Rickles and the Focaccia Kid at Le Cirque! | 354
Frances W. Preston, “Th e Lady from Nashville” | 355
Kate O’Shaughnessy Nulty’s Tribute to Mary Jane Wharton, Her Grandmother | 357
Nelson: A Child of the Neighborhood | 359
William O’Shaughnessy’s Tribute to Martin Beck | 365
Tribute to Paul Hutton | 368
Tribute to Peter Mustich, Townie | 370
Another Beloved Townie Open Line Caller | 372
Tribute to Rick Buckley, Beloved Broadcaster | 376
Tribute to Stu Olds, Beloved Broadcast Exec | 379
Tribute to Ward Quaal, Broadcasting’s Greatest Statesman | 382
William B. Williams’s Hall of Fame Induction | 384
Tribute to Dawson B. “Tack” Nail | 387
The Passing of Peggy Burton | 390
Diane Gagliardi Collins Passes Away at Ninety | 392
John Mara’s Eulogy for Ann T. Mara | 393
Eulogy for Joseph A. Anastasi, “The Captain” | 398
Eulogy for the Hon. Salvatore T. Generoso, “The Last Legend” | 401
Caryl Donnelly Plunkett: An Appreciation | 404
An Appreciation of Jim Delmonico (1920–2012) | 408
The Incomparable “Joe Slick”: An Appreciation | 410
John Scully: A Sailor and a Gentleman | 414
A Tribute to “Colonel” Marty Rochelle | 417
Tribute to Ambassador Edward Noonan Ney | 420
Tribute to Bob Grant | 421
“The Amazin’ ” Bill Mazer | 422
Tribute to Governor Brendan Byrne | 423
Page Morton Black, the “Chock full o’Nuts” Lady | 424
Brother Driscoll of Iona, Great Educator and More | 427
Rush Limbaugh III Tribute to Ed McLaughlin | 430
PART VI. THE OBLIGATORY MARIO M. CUOMO SECTION IN EVERY BILL O’SHAUGHNESSY BOOK
“The Morning After”: A Stunningly Candid Interview with Governor Andrew M. Cuomo | 441
Remarks of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo at Central Synagogue Interfaith Service | 455
Mario Cuomo: A Dream | 460
Matilda Cuomo | 461
William O’Shaughnessy Interview with Mario Cuomo Re: Andy O’Rourke | 472
Interview with Mario M. Cuomo | 476
Dutch Treat Club Annual Dinner Presentation of the Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement
in the Arts for Governor Mario M. Cuomo | 484
Dutch Treat Club Luncheon | 486
An Evanescent Supreme Court Nomination: The Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Story | 497
Andrew Cuomo’s Eulogy for Mario Cuomo | 500
Mario: This Is Personal | 513
“Quotable Quotes”—Reviews of Mario Cuomo: Remembrances of a Remarkable Man | 523
A Note on Mario Cuomo and Teilhard de Chardin | 532
Mario Cuomo’s Omega Society Speech: A Meditation on Ultimate Values | 533
PART VII. THE EXTRAORDINARY BUSH FAMILY
George W. Bush’s Eulogy for His Father, President George H.W. Bush | 541
Whitney Global Media Endorsement: George H.W. Bush for President, 1992 | 546
Thank You Letter from “41” | 551
George W. Bush for President, 2000 | 552
Billy Bush Deserves a Second Chance | 555
Phil Reisman: In Defense of Billy Bush | 557
“Great on Imus”: A Letter from Jonathan Bush | 559
Jonathan Bush’s Letter on Imus to CBS Radio | 560
PART VIII. AIRBORNE ENDORSEMENTS
Governor Andrew Cuomo for Governor | 565
Alessandra Biaggi for State Senate | 569
Julie Killian for State Senate | 571
George Latimer for Westchester County Executive | 576
Rob Astorino for County Executive | 580
Judge Daniel Angiolillo | 584
Ernie Davis for Mayor | 587
Stay the Course with Mayor Bradley | 589
PART IX. A MAN OF LETTERS
Letter to Rush Limbaugh (March 1, 2018) | 593
Letter to Rush Limbaugh (March 26, 2018) | 594
Letter from Rush Limbaugh to William O’Shaughnessy | 596
Letter to Rush Limbaugh (April 23, 2018) | 597
The Holy Roman Catholic Church: Letter to Michael “Lionel” Lebron | 598
A Note from Dan Rather | 600
Facebook Note from Kate O’Shaughnessy Nulty | 601
In Defense of Le Cirque: Letter to Pete Wells | 602
Letter to Pete Wells Regarding the new Four Seasons | 605
Admiring John Sterling: Letter to Scott Herman | 607
“A Westchester Legend”: Letter from Samuel G. Fredman | 609
Re: William B. Williams and Rick Buckley: Letter from Dick Robinson | 611
Letter to William O’Shaughnessy from Ralph Graves | 613
PART X. THE GREAT ISSUES. ABORTION AND THE DEATH PENALTY: LIFE IN EVERY INSTANCE
Timothy Cardinal Dolan: Reclaim the Truth of the Human Person | 617
The Greatest Issue, Abortion: A WVOX Commentary | 624
The Death Penalty (Pope Francis’s view) | 625
The Death Penalty (Gov. Mario M. Cuomo’s view) | 626
Las Vegas Shooting: Another “Thoughts and Prayers” Day | 631
The New Killing Season | 634
Comments from “The Deplorables” | 636
The 137 Real Reasons Why Hillary Lost and Trump Won | 639
“Those People” | 644
Down-Home Democracy in the Land of Thomas Paine | 646
Fifty Years after President Kennedy Was Assassinated | 647
Acknowledgments | 649
Index | 657
Photographs follow pages 200 and 424
