R.I.P., Howard Zinn

Maybe this is just the week when the authors of overrated books pass on. Howard Zinn died yesterday. His People's History of the United States, which I read in high school, convinced me that history gets re-written all the time by people trying to score political points. I'm guessing he was an engaging speaker and teacher, because the book was definitely designed to be controversial. As a history book, thought, it left a lot to be desired. But hey, give him credit for writing this about the current President...

“I think people are dazzled by Obama’s rhetoric, and that people ought to begin to understand that Obama is going to be a mediocre president — which means, in our time, a dangerous president — unless there is some national movement to push him in a better direction.”

There's a movement all right, but it may not be going in the direction Zinn preferred.