In the late 1990s and again circa 2007, I met the esteemed Washington Superlawyer, lobbyist Vernon Jordan, who had performed some legal work for a client I represented, the Association of Finance and Insurance Professionals.
We were originally introduced by our mutual friend Chuck Manatt, an Iowan who had served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Jordan, who died March 1, was a black man who had endured outright bigotry for decades. As a student in Atlanta whose father was a postal worker, Jordan attended segregated schools. However, because his enterprising mother owned a successful catering business, he became acquainted with well-connected, elite southerners. After being rejected, because of his race, for a summer internship with an insurance company after his sophomore year at DePauw University, he returned home to work as a chauffeur and household aide to the aging segregationist Robert Maddox â a wealthy banker and former Atlanta mayor. During breaks, Jor
to ensure that the joint chiefs of staff was well-informed and we debated the policy issues of the day to the extent where we could all come to consensus. unfortunately and the four years i was chairman, i never had to say, mr. president, here is my view, but, by the way, somebody else does not agree, and here is their view. we always would find common ground. and it was not hard. there were a couple of things that helped. not just my terrific leadership capability. we have budgets that were going up. so there is not a lot of service squabbling, and we were a nation of four. a nation at war. we were focused on that. and as people probably know, the coast guard is not part of the joint chiefs of staff, but i had an open invitation to become gadahn, the two are the to the commandant of the coast guard to come to meetings. i insisted they be there for some meetings. because we all had to work hand- in-glove. i think for the time that steve and i came to the air force, which
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