Re: is there anyone really real out there?
Posted by:
Two Feet In The Grave
()
Date: February 28, 2012 12:37PM
Yes, they're real. (Or they used to be.) But the (maybe) surprising thing is that the politicians's public and private personas can be so different. I've met and talked to more than a few. A few quick takes:
Newt Gingrich: Just as arrogant in private as in public. Also, he has at best a glancing, superficial knowledge of many of the things he claims to be an expert on.
Tom Daschle: Intelligent. Well-informed. Possible to have a good, substantive discussion with him.
Tom Delay: Not an intellectual, but--in his defense--he never claimed to be.
George Bush (41): I didn't meet him, but worked closely with someone who knew him well. My colleague insisted that, in private, Bush was funny, natural, a good conversationalist. (You'd never have suspected from his public persona.)
Pat Buchanan: Shy. Pleasant.
Pete McCloskey [1972 contender for Republican Presidential nomination]: Intelligent. Good conversationalist. Pleasant.