It matters not how strait the gate

Invictus 
William Ernest Henley - 1849-1903

Out of the night that covers me,   
  Black as the Pit from pole to pole,   
I thank whatever gods may be   
  For my unconquerable soul.   

In the fell clutch of circumstance 
  I have not winced nor cried aloud.   
Under the bludgeonings of chance   
  My head is bloody, but unbowed.   

Beyond this place of wrath and tears   
  Looms but the Horror of the shade, 
And yet the menace of the years   
  Finds, and shall find, me unafraid. 

  

It matters not how strait the gate,   
  How charged with punishments the scroll,   
I am the master of my fate:
  I am the captain of my soul.

The Post

Spielberg's rendition of the anti-press climate during the Nixon administration and the coming-of-age of Katherine Graham as a leader and publisher is nothing less than inspiring. It is by turns subtle and in-your-face, but it is always on point. The story unfolds with suspense, despite knowing exactly what will happen, and the characters evolve before our eyes, with us rooting for them along the way.

This is, in so many ways, the real story of not only The Washington Post,  but of journalism in the post-war United States, during a hostile and authoritarian administration that thought anyone who didn't fight dirty wasn't really trying.

The tale of Watergate and how it rocked a nation is not possible without this story and the personal development of Graham. She is a hero of leadership and of journalism, and hats off to Ben Bradlee who stood by her and cheered her on from her corner, without needing to eclipse her. This is a portrait of The Resistance.

“Pick your fights. Don’t duck ‘em, but don’t fight second-rate opponents.” -- Ben Bradlee