Hotheaded presidents

WASHINGTON — History is an inexact guide, because little evidence is available tying temper to action.

Historian Richard Smith has found that, according to Tobias Lear, George Washington's secretary, "few sounds on Earth could compare with that of George Washington swearing a blue streak."

On the other hand, Smith said, Washington could control himself. "One reason George Washington is this coldblooded marble figure is that he became expert in controlling his temper," he said.

Other presidents have similar histories. Thomas Jefferson, Smith said, could be a "red-faced chief executive throwing his hat on the floor before stomping on it."

Harry Truman was famous for angry letters, and one that got out showed quite a temper.

"It seems to me that you are a frustrated old man who wishes he could have been successful," Truman wrote Washington Post music critic Paul Hume in 1950, after Hume had panned first daughter Margaret Truman's singing performance.

Added the angry father: "Some day I hope to meet you. When that happens you'll need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes and perhaps a supporter below!"

Bill Clinton's infamous red-faced tirades tended to be endured by staffers in the privacy of the White House rather than public displays.