Dinner with Helen Thomas last night [View All]

[DFW]

My brother and I were invited by an old (as in decades) friend to dinner
Sunday night. Helen Thomas has been around Washington since the Truman
administration, and has seen it all. Some of the stuff we discussed is
absolutely off the record, as she is an active professional journalist (87 years
old and still working full time!), and her personal opinions were for the table
only (even if you all can well imagine what some of them are!!). But some of the
stuff that was "public" knowledge was scary.

Stuff I didn't know: before Bush 2 got into office, he told a reporter that he
wanted to be a war president, because war presidents were the only ones that got
remembered. Minor crap like improving the lives of the people of the United States
apparently wasn't even on his agenda. This was before he was even inaugurated!!

Also, more recently, a group of big Texas Republicans came up to see Bush at the
White House. Far from receiving them with humility or even as equals, he told
them, "I'm president and I'm the most powerful man in the world, and I'm gonna do
whatever I want!" These (recently former) Bush supporters left the White House
pale and looking very shaken.

And a fun one from the early sixties: JFK once had some top tech guys over to the
White House and told them he wanted to put a man on the moon before the end of the
sixties. The Defense guys all said "yessir, Mr. President!" and nodded. When they
left JFK's presence, they were overheard to have said "this guy has lost his
mind, how does he think we'll ever be able to accomplish that?"

We even discussed the DU briefly. She was surprised to hear that there was
sometimes so much anger here directed at Democrats. It would be better directed
at Republicans, although giving Democrats a push when though to be needed was
certainly a legitimate and necessary thing to do. We both like John Conyers,
whose methodical but unwavering procedures seem to have borne fruit, what with
Gonzales resigning, and we weren't even aware of that last night.

I took along my brother and his two sons, both of whom were duely respectful and
grateful to have been taken along. By the way, one of them is 24, a champion swimmer, a rocket scientist (literally) and fabulously good-looking, in case there are any similar (rocket science not required, I'd bet--a nerd he isn't)
unattached DU women out there in the Bay area, where he is currently studying.

Helen was interrupted repeatedly at the restaurant by guests who recognized her
and just wanted to come over and express appreciation for her work. Helen brought
along some friends, one of whom is still with CNN. A fine, VERY informative and
stimulating evening, and if you are ever in Washington, D.C., man do I ever have
a restaurant recommendation for you!! This was a Lebanese place off Connecticut
Avenue that Helen had been telling me about for years. If you like Middle Eastern
food, don't miss this place if in DC!!