Date: Sun, 16 Nov 1997 22:40:48 -0500

From: "Barry A. Popik" Bapopik[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM

Subject: Re: "I Would/Had Rather Be Right Than Be President"



Oops! I'm sorry!

SAFIRE'S NEW POLITICAL DICTIONARY has:



"I would rather be right than be President." Kentucky Senator Clay made

this statement several times to his friends, in a letter in 1839, and in a

Senate speech in 1850.



Unfortunately, Safire doesn't give a citation. Anyway, my citation is

"I had."

The American Heritage Dictionary of American Quotations was published

several years after Safire's New Political Dictionary, so I turned to Hugh

Rawson's book first. I'm truly sorry.

However, I'm still confused. It would be nice to get "Right" right!