The Gimlet Eye

LAS VEGAS—Richard Nixon used to tell his associates, exhausted after a long campaign, not to take vacations right away. Work for a while, he’d say, taper off for a week, and then go to the beach for a long sun-soak. My own counsel is different. I recommend, especially after a campaign like this, a politically incorrect weekend in Las Vegas, complete with professional prizefight.

The restorative process begins as your plane skids to a stop at McCarran Airport. Yes, it’s named after former Democratic Senator Pat McCarran, who, for those of you who are too young to remember the Great War, was known in the phrase of the day as a dedicated anti-Communist. Fact is, on his good days he made Tail Gunner Joe look like a wimp. Fact also is, though, that McCarran was only small potatoes in these parts. The city father was none other than Bugsy Siegel, who said he’d build the place and then they’d better come. He did and they did. A civic leader of broad vision, Siegel supported entrepreneurial capitalism, empowerment, and school choice. He was a consistent critic of prosecutorial zeal.

About the Author

Neal B. Freeman

Neal B. Freeman, businessman and journalist, was a director of National Review Inc. for 38 years.

Featured Tags

LAS VEGAS—Richard Nixon used to tell his associates, exhausted after a long campaign, not to take vacations right away. Work for a while, he’d say, taper off for a week, and then go to the beach for a long sun-soak. My own counsel is different. I recommend, especially after a campaign like this, a politically incorrect weekend in Las Vegas, complete with professional prizefight.

The restorative process begins as your plane skids to a stop at McCarran Airport. Yes, it’s named after former Democratic Senator Pat McCarran, who, for those of you who are too young to remember the Great War, was known in the phrase of the day as a dedicated anti-Communist. Fact is, on his good days he made Tail Gunner Joe look like a wimp. Fact also is, though, that McCarran was only small potatoes in these parts. The city father was none other than Bugsy Siegel, who said he’d build the place and then they’d better come. He did and they did. A civic leader of broad vision, Siegel supported entrepreneurial capitalism, empowerment, and school choice. He was a consistent critic of prosecutorial zeal.