Dan Loving and I had lunch today with Bryan Derreberry and Barby Jobe from the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce. We congratulated them on having such a great annual dinner this year. Doris Kearns Goodwin was an undeniable hit.
So how do they top her next year (or even come close to having as good of a program)? Bryan said he’s already at work on that. He was also nice enough to ask for suggestions. So here goes.
How about a journalist? Ted Koppel, Tom Brokaw or maybe my personal favorite, Maureen Dowd.
Journalists have front-row seats and backstage passes — literally and figuratively — to all kinds of news most of us only get in black and white or soundbites. They can offer behind-the-scenes stories and perspectives on events and world leaders.
With the right pick — hopefully someone more engaging than professorial — the chamber could get a speaker who appeals to Republicans and Democrats alike.
And for this journalist, that will be worth reporting.
It wasn’t that long ago that we were writing about Wachovia’s shotgun wedding with Citigroup.
And then Wells Fargo stepped in and scuttled the whole thing.
Seeing what happened over the weekend, with regulators hastily arranging a bail out plan for Citi, that might have been a good thing.
I never really understood why banking regulators were so anxious to pair up Wachovia and Citi. At the time the wedding was announced, Citi had already posted three consecutive quarters of losses.
I wonder how much this latest event is going to affect Citi’s credibility in the lawsuit it’s pursuing against Wachovia and Wells.
Tiger Woods is out as a General Motors spokesman at the end of the year, the Associated Press reports.
GM said in a statement Monday that it is looking to reduce costs, and that the star golfer also wants more personal time as he expects his second child.
Woods has endorsed GM products around the world and has been closely tied to its Buick brand in the U.S., Canada and China.
GM’s vice president for North American sales, Mark LaNeve, says the separation is the result of discussions earlier in the year and is not related to the company’s campaign for $25 billion in loans from the federal government.