Donald Trump's moxie

Whatever else anyone thinks of Donald Trump, one has to admire his moxie. When he purchased the Lowe's Island Golf Club in Sterling, Va., he immediately promised a makeover of the courses that would enable them to exceed any in the D.C. area, including Congressional Country Club, site of the U.S. Open in 2011.

Trump never shies away from using hyperbole. When he bought Ocean Trails (now Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles) in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., he ordered a re-design that he promised would make it "better than Pebble Beach."

Give him this: the location of Lowe's Island (now Trump National Golf Club Washington, D.C.), adjacent to the Potomac River, is a nice canvas on which to work.

That said, had the courses been located on a river in another part of the world, "it's possible I wouldn't have any interest," he told the Fox affiliate in Washington. "D.C. is hot. They own banks and car companies. They own everything."

-- John Strege