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Author brings LBJ to life in his works

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    Power Player of the Week: Robert Caro

  • Duration 3:43
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Watching President Obama lay out his ambitious agenda at this week's inaugural.

Got us thinking about another president who did much the same thing a half century ago.

Fortunately as we first told you last September 1 of America's most celebrated historians has been explaining to watch for decades.

How about president turned his plans into law.

Here is our power player of the week.

You know how political how works and emerged from the last -- for the twentieth century.

Studying Lyndon Johnson's life watching him exercise power.

Here's a way to see what a president can really do.

Robert -- has spent almost half his life telling the story of LB today.

But he says he's not a biographer he's a student of power how Ugandan and what you do -- it.

And Johnson he says was a genius at both how long.

Did you think it was gonna take -- -- -- back at.

-- I sort of back.

Ten years and now we are what 36.

Years and -- -- -- something like that the breadth and depth of the work is stunning.

Since 1976.

-- was written four books 3400.

Pages winning almost every award there really is starting with the Pulitzer.

And he's not yet to Johnson and Vietnam why has it taken so long.

When Carol looked at how Johnson was first elected to the senate in 1948.

By 87 votes he ended up writing a book about.

Nobody should ever look.

-- -- stolen election from beginning to end and -- this is what a stolen election has.

And as -- as passage of power.

Tells -- Johnson succeeded John Kennedy and saved his agenda.

It takes legislation that Kennedy it introduced.

That was stole there were really wasn't going to pass civil rights the tax cut bill.

And being an instant Johnson gets him moving towards passage.

Last fall Carol took part in The Library of Congress -- basketball on the National Mall.

And it was clear he has made Johnson come alive for many readers do you -- Yeah I don't like from -- dislike him you were -- or the -- you're constantly saying.

Look what he's doing well.

He got excited talking about Johnson's rise to power but as we turn to the final book he's writing now about Johnson's presidency in Vietnam.

His demeanor suddenly change.

The store is gonna turn very dark.

As soon as Vietnam and here's the -- It's sort of a tragic story to story of his great friends that are destroyed.

-- -- war.

-- -- -- -- -- do you ever worry.

That you're not gonna have time to finish this last book well sure.

But you know.

It's not productive to think like that how long do you think it's gonna take you to finish -- I could say three or four years of war -- to believe.

That separates the.

After all -- latest book took nine years.

But there is at least one part of the final chapter of the Johnson's story -- is already -- Is it true.

That you already know the last sentence of the book I always have to have a list shortens to right towards I have to know what the conclusion.

Can tell you know I -- a hat trick actually is -- a doozy of the last sentence.

Well -- hopes her birth ex.

While Carroll feels the time pressure to finish up the -- story also has plans to write another book on a different subject after that.

As a big fan of -- work I can't wait to read it and --

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