I have an uncomfortable confession to make: today I met and, together with my boss, gave a presentation to the Secretary of State and, one on one, at least, found her really quite charming.
I feel like I can't really say anything about her visit more generally (I do need this job, after all), but in the five minutes I spent with her she came across as genuinely pleasant and witty, sincerely interested in the work our division is doing, and additionally pleasantly surprised and disarmed by my addressing her first in Russian. In fact, she was significantly more intrigued by the range of multimedia distance learning courses we produce than her staff had intimated, and she asked specifically for copies of some of the courses she thought would be particularly helpful for her as she brushes up on her Russian and prepares to travel to cities for which we have specific computer-based informational products.
I'm exhilirated that our presentation went so well (the Secretary specifically mentioned it in her later remarks), but completely exhausted as well, after all the preparation and intense scrutiny.
She's always seemed charming and pleasant on TV. I think she's one of those Bush officials (like Colin Powell) who will be tainted by their association with this administration, by dint of their complete loyalty to the guy.
I've often felt that if I ever met Dubya in person, one on one, that he'd come off as a genuinely nice guy that you wouldn't mind having over to a barbecue. But that doesn't negate his true nature, does it?
Frankly, there are only two people in the Bush administration who I think probably are NOT personable: Dick Cheney and Karl Rove. Ick.