Sean Penn and Richard Nixon

We don’t get to a lot of movies (in the theater that is), but among the new ones on my like-to-see list is “The Assassination of Richard Nixon.” As with most people from my generation, I have a hate-hate relationship with Richard Nixon, the man who prolonged the Vietnam War (among other atrocities). The book, “Kennedy and Nixon,” by Chris Matthews is a insightful look at the man behind the man and is sure to offer (for those who care) some dimension to this one-dimensional figure of horror who was the POTUS (as Mike says) during a turbulent era several decades ago.

Sean Penn plays a man who is hellbent on killing Nixon, seeing the POTUS as responsible for his sorry lot in life. Penn is amazing actor who was awesome in both “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” and “Falcon and the Snowman” (among other films). Penn and his actress wife Robin Wright (Penn) live a few miles from our former home in Marin County. I saw him once at Woodland Market and let me tell you, he had a look about him that not only said, “Don’t ask for an autograph,” … it said, “Breathe near me, and I’ll kill you.” He was a greasy little guy in a leather jacket, but he looked tough.