▁it ▁out ▁for ▁twenty ▁years . ▁With ▁this ▁L B J ▁rose ▁like ▁a ▁ro asted ▁p he asant ▁and ▁bol ted ▁from ▁the ▁room ." ▁But ▁Johnson ▁soon ▁returned . ▁Hel ms ▁described ▁of ▁what ▁happened ▁next . ▁ ▁The ▁President , ▁who ▁was ▁a ▁foot ▁and ▁a ▁half ▁t aller ▁and ▁a ▁hundred ▁pounds ▁heav ier ▁than ▁George , ▁struck ▁him ▁a ▁res ounding ▁cla p ▁on ▁the ▁back ▁and ▁caught ▁his ▁hand ▁in ▁an ▁immense ▁f ist . ▁W rench ing ▁George ' s ▁arm ▁up ▁and ▁down ▁with ▁a ▁p ump ing ▁motion ▁that ▁might ▁have ▁drawn ▁oil ▁from ▁a ▁dry ▁Texas ▁well , ▁Johnson ▁con gr at ulated ▁him ▁on ▁the ▁brief ing , ▁and ▁on ▁his ▁services ▁to ▁the ▁country ▁and ▁its ▁vot ers . ▁As ▁he ▁released ▁George , ▁he ▁said , ▁' Any time ▁you ▁want ▁to ▁talk ▁to ▁me , ▁just ▁pick ▁up ▁the ▁phone ▁and ▁come ▁over .' ▁It ▁was ▁a ▁v int age ▁L B J ▁performance . ▁ ▁Ear lier , ▁a ▁group ▁of ▁foreign ▁policy ▁el ders , ▁known ▁as ▁The ▁W ise ▁Men , ▁having ▁first ▁heard ▁from ▁C IA , ▁then ▁confront ed ▁Johnson ▁about ▁the ▁difficulty ▁of ▁winning ▁in ▁Vietnam . ▁The ▁president ▁was ▁un prep ared ▁to ▁accept ▁their ▁negative ▁find ings . ▁" L y nd on ▁Johnson ▁must ▁have ▁considered ▁March ▁ 1 9 6 8 ▁the ▁most ▁difficult ▁month ▁of ▁his ▁political ▁career ," ▁wrote ▁Hel ms ▁later . ▁Event ually ▁this ▁fran