Visiting the white house this week where he will be the guest of honor at a white house state dinner. It will be the 13th time the president obama has hosted a dinner for a head of state. Here is a preview. How are you . I would like to welcome you in the press review in honor of the singapore state dinner. It is the third state dinner of 2016. In a few minutes you will get to see the decor and hear about the meals and hear from all of our includingcolleagues damage from the National Security council. Are far as but we represent many. We are five but we represent many. All of us could not be here. But i want to thank you to all of my colleagues here at the white house. Thank you. Hello, everyone jobs and welcome to the press review. Everyone, and welcome to the press review. You can see behind us, the yellow, which is the inspiration , yellow inspiration symbolizes our friendship. Singapore is known for its incredible orchid that are growing with much patience and care. We have used an
This week on q a, journalist and author Joshua Kendall. He discusses his book first dads. Brian Joshua Kendall. Author of first dads. What is this book about and where did you get the idea . Mr. Kendall my last book was obsessives, and i did profiles of seven american icons were control freaks, from icons who were control freaks, from Thomas Jefferson to steve jobs. These were people with character disorders that had difficulty relating to other people but were amazing movers and shakers. I wrote a chapter on jefferson. Jefferson, of course, is americas most articulate proponent of freedom and most articulate enemy of tyranny. With his own daughters, he was a control freak. He told them what to do, what to wear. Jefferson also was an amazing politician. We all know how brilliant he was. But in the election of 1804, he was reelected by about 75 of the vote and it brought up the question of how one the nation and how one leaves the family. How one the nation and leads the nation. Jeffers
People talk about the idea of service. What would he think about a former secretary of state making 225,000 to give a speech . John well, thats an interesting question. Of course, in his day politics was not a root to wealth. The opposite. And when he was a young man, he ran for the state legislature of massachusetts. Most of his friends who were all lawyers like him wouldnt do that because the theory was first you make dough as a merchant or a lawyer, whatever it was, and then when you are comfortable, you can afford to go into politics because no one ever made a nickel. Congressman in those days would get 9 as a per diem. Adams struggled economically his whole life but he thought that it was right that he struggle. And i think that, again, part of his sense of its Public Service is that you accept the fact that youre not going to make money doing it and youll die poor. Indeed, the president s who preceded adams, jefferson famously, but madison not so famously, monroe not so famously
He would be critical now. Know, i think above the donald trump thing, his first reaction would be, what happened to the idea of Public Service . why are we having some guy who thinks his business qualification his qualification is business . Askedt himself if you had him, why are you qualified to be president , he would say, because i have served the public selflessly, and that was true, since i was a young man. He had been a congressman, secretary of state. His own definition of sacrifice and even of heroism all had to do with the idea i am here for the republic. That is my purpose. And i think he would be sort of saddened and second by this sort of discussed with which people talk about the idea of service. Brian what would he think about a former secretary making 225,000 to give a speech . James that is an interesting question. In his day, politics was not a root cause. It was the opposite. When he was a young man, he ran for the state legislature of massachusetts. All of his friend
He was a censorious fellow. He was critical then. He would be critical now. You know, i think above the of the donald trump thing, you know, his first reaction would be, what happened to the idea of Public Service . why are we having some guy who thinks his qualification is that he was a businessman . He was very close to the republic and he felt himself if you had asked him, why are you qualified to be president , he would say, because i have served the public selflessly, and that was true. Since i was a young man. He had been a congressman, secretary of state. His own definition of sacrifice and even of heroism all had to do with the idea of i am here for the republic. That is my purpose. And i think he would be sort of saddened and second by this sort of disgust with which people talk about the idea of service. Brian what would he think about a former secretary making 225,000 to give a speech . James that is an interesting question. In his day, politics was not a route to wealth. Wa