The President looks and sounds exactly like the guy on TV. He knows, I'm sure, that we all think we know him. He is charming and was as hospitable as anyone I’ve ever met. He made us feel that he was grateful to us for coming to visit him (like we would turn him down) and was genuinely comfortable in both the chit-chat and the policy talk. He especially enjoyed talking with the apple farmer as he was able to talk about the trees he is growing on his ranch in Crawford.He shared with us an anecdote about a recent dinner he had with Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi during which the conversation turned to North Korea. He said that during the conversation, the thought occured to him that it was special that the U.S. and Japan, one-time enemies, are working together to solve a complex situation that threatens world peace. He said the experience made him curious about what future leaders in the U.S. and the leaders of Iraq and Afghanistan might one day 50 years from now be trying to solve together.
...Bottom line: If George W. Bush could spend 25 minutes chatting with everybody in America like he did with me and five other folks today, he would win any election by a landslide. Despite the formality of the setting, he immediately put us all at ease with grace and hospitality. He was personable and seemed genuinely curious about each of us and our individual pionts of view on the subject we were there to discuss.
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