Picto Diary - 21, 22 October 2017 - Hoover, Double You
21 October 2017 = (no image)
TIMDT drove the Cayenne from Park City, UT to Winnemucca, NV... half way to Palo Alto, CA, where I had signed up for Hoover Institution's Fall Retreat for donors. (I had been over and back on his same road just over a week ago on my visit to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival... visit hosted by Aunt Joyce.
The five and one half hour drive went fast. We were listening to a "book on tape:" "The Trespasser," by Tana French. French is an acclaimed, Irish murder mystery writer.
The book was read by French herself. She, used various Irish accents to depict the book's characters as they spoke. It was a little hard getting used to French's Irish accent, not to mention the difficulty of understanding the argot, meaning of which had to be imputed.
So, TIMDT and Mwah (sic) would stop the tape every 10 minutes or so and review/analyze what we had heard. We're both into the book. I'll do a report on it when finished "reading."
The time with wife and the discussion is very enjoyable.
Above: Bishop sox. Stanford Park Hotel. Menlo Park, CA. 22 October 2017.
First time donned sox since moto incident 08 August in CO which resulted in fractured tibia plateau, right leg. Surgery, plates and screws, 13 August.
After 6 weeks of no weight bearing on right leg, now 100% weight bearing, but, not 100% recovered. Right leg still swollen at 125% of normal.
W speaking tonight at Hoover. Was least I could do to don sox.
Whundruff (sic) W will dis Trump as he has purportedly done in speeches last week?
Note: Seen tonight: John Taylor, possible next Fed head; Victor Davis Hansen, military historian, columnist; George Shulz, former Secretary of State, Condi Rice, former Secretary of State.
Demographic note: Hoover crowd looks like a Regent cruise.
GEORGE W. BUSH in Q and A led by Condi Rice.
CONDI: Amazingly, you're now a painter!
GWB: I read "Painting as a Pass Time," by Winston Churchill. Got me interested.
CONDI: Current painting subject?
GWB: Turner. Injured Iraq vet. We mountain bike together. Empathizing with vet experience emotional... moving.
CONDI: Putin.
GWB: Been with Putin 25 times. To ease tension, introduced Putin in to my Scottish terrier, Barney. Putin seemed nervous around Barney.
Next year was with Putin at his Black Sea dascha. Putin brought out his dog...a giant Russian hound. Putin said, "my dog is bigger, faster and smarter than Barney."
Putin is a clever tactician. Smart, with a chip on shoulder. But, he can't think win win. He thinks zero sum game.
CONDI: Prez and Secretary of State relationship?
GWB: Can't be any daylight showing between the two. Disagreements must be settled in private.
CONDI: Nativism versus Nationalism.
GWB: Nativism is angry populism. Bad. Blaming outsiders for your own problems not good. We need to welcome newly arrived immigrants.
I understand that people are mad because of the bad, sub 2% economy. Slow economic growth leads to protectionist sentiment. Recapturing good, 3% plus economic growth would solve a lot of the problem of nativism.
I understand the politics of immigration. Harry Reid stopped the immigration reform I wanted to make.
Concerned about rise of nativism because moral health of country, and and national security are at stake.
CONDI: How DO we get economy growing?
GWB:
Cut taxes
Regulatory reform.
Reform immigration.
Free trade.
Trade agreements. Need em. Tweak don't undo. We shouldn't undo! No brainer.
Immigration. Need tamper proof guest worker ID card.
CONDI: NOKO.
GWB: Guy's a nut. Difficult to gain leverage with 10k artillery pieces pointed at Seoul... and the likelihood of 500k South Koreans killed in armed confrontation. Must get China assistance.
CONDI: Middle East.
GWB: Lack of US presence creates dangerous vacuums.
Iran and ISIS fill vacuums left in US withdrawal. Saudi and Israel "friends"....strange bedfellows
CONDI: Future of Pubs.
GWB: They're running a guy in Alabama who should never, ever be senator.
CONDI: Some young don't like Democratic capitalism. They like Socialism.
GWB: They're not paying attention. Look at Cuba, Venezuela or Zimbabwe. Socialism doesn't work.
CONDI: Trump?
GWB: He did end run on the MSM. Built his own network on social media. He needs to understand the difference between running and governing. Presidency more important than the presidency. He shouldn't sink to level of his critics.
DINNER:
Michael McFaul, on my left. Obama Ambassador to Russia. I asked McFaul why Russia and the US didn't have a better relations in view of their shared problem of dealing with Islamic terror. He said that there had been a better relationship in the past on this issue, but, that Putin's capriciousness and unpredictability made it difficult to continue.
McFaul was amazed that Margaret and I rode on motorcycle through Dagestan, Ingushetia, Chechnya and North Ossetia three years ago. He said he hadn't been to those parts of Russia. He was very curious to find out more about our trip.
Skip Boling on my right. Retired CEO Lockheed Martin. Boling agreed with the sentiment, relayed to me by Walt Orlowski, retired chief engineer of Boing, that best engineers came from small, western, and midwestern... "unknown" engineering schools. These students were farm boy engineers. They were forced to be entrepreneurial problem solvers from an early age and worked well on teams, an important requirement for an engineer in a large aerospace company.
Analysis:
Did Bush dis Trump in his remarks tonight?
1. W is not happy with Trump's holding press account for every sleight. Trump should rise above it all... be presidential, and not focus on himself, according to Bush
2. Bush scorns rising nativism (real or perceived) and regrets immigration reform hasn't been accomplished.
It should be remembered that Trump immigration policy - `1MM new immigrants a year - is same as it was during Bush era. Trump, a nationalist, believes in controlled borders, controlled currency, and military enforcement of nation's sovereignty.
Working with Democrats, he has offered flexibility on DACA in exchange for support for wall (strengthened border control).
Net: There has been no effort on the part of the Trump administration to restrain legal immigration, while he works hard to control the nation's borders.
My own view, is that we will have to ramp up legal immigration beyond 1MM per year... for two reasons. One, we can't achieve expanded GDP growth without a growth in the labor force and, two, the labor force will atrophy as the lazy millenial generation works its way through the pipeline.
Bush might have dissed the MSM driven perception of Trump... but, the reality is that the views of both presidents are in synch more than most might think.
3. Bush doesn't like Trump tinkering with his trade deals. But, again, there may not be that much of a gap between the two. Bush says we can tinker with trade deals as we move along if we think they are unfair to the US. In fairness to Trump, that is what Trump has said: "we'll tinker... but, if we can't make them fairer to US workers, we'll drop them."
Dis? Perception..., but, not reality. If Trump dumps a trade deal, then, if you believe in global trade deals, you'll appreciate Bush's "criticism" of Trump... but, we're not there yet. Trump's position may be more of a negotiating ploy.
4. Bush said the relationship between the president and the Secretary of State should be seamless and private. This could be implied as criticism of Trump's perceived relationship with Rex Tillerson... where, recently, Trump said publicly that Tillerson is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Rocket Man.
On the other hand, a Secretary of State and a President can't play "good cop, bad cop" publicly? Many voted for Trump to "disrupt" the falling ways of the Swamp.
Addendum:
Glad you are doing so well.
Torquemada, Sandy, UT
Good for you !
Brand, Ventura, CA
Good luck with your recovery. I took one of my first bad spills on an expert run in Snowmass in mid-February. Really clinched my right shoulder. Totally my fault as it was 48 degrees on the mountain and you know what the snow can be like when it’s that warm. So this goes along with the motorcycle crash on the way to Bhutan which nailed the left shoulder. No surgery on either side just plenty of PT. Thought to remember….you heal so much more slowly when your older!!
Mickey, Aspen, CO
Steve,
Your recovery is headed in the right direction.
Great news. Keep it going as such.
Cheers,
Ahn Rhee, Larkspur, CA
My family founded the Yankees 😁
Brand, Ventura, CA
Your recovery seems measured and reasonable. The way it should be. God bless!
Bronx Girl, Pelham, NY
Nice work Steve - you're on track for ski season!
1911 ACP, Salt Lake City, UT
I wish you continued recovery and a return to full health and vigor.
Jack Aroon, Mahwah, NJ