Once upon a time, looking back on when he managed a human time bomb of a pitcher named
Joaquin Andujar (may his soul rest in peace), Whitey Herzog described it thus: When you've
got to ride the tiger in life, stay on his back as long as you can. If you asked me to rate my
managing, I might say, "Hell, I rode a sabertooth for five years, got a lot of miles out of him,
and never ended up inside until the end. I must have done something right."
The Republicans rode a sabertooth named Donaldus Minimus back to the White House. They're
liable to end up inside theirs a lot sooner than Whitey Herzog ended up inside his.
That was then: a president might jab Congress to passing what he wants by saying, "Do the
right thing." This is now: "Pass it or else." Both would be wrong, since there's nothing in the
Constitution requiring Congress to pass legislation the president can only recommend,
but few are the presidents who think they were given a bludgeon with which to beat a
Congress into submission.
