“We don’t want to mess up the paint Steve put on the plane.”
– Retired Air Force One pilot Col. Mark Tillman commenting at Wichita Aero Club about how Secret Service agents can shoot anyone who gets too close to the plane without authorization but how no one would want to mess up Boeing Wichita site leader Steve Wade’s paint job
“I know he’s going to take the bullet for me.”
— Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce chairman Lynn Nichols, joking about one of the fake Secret Service agents at the Wednesday news conference to announce George W. Bush as this year’s annual meeting speaker
WICHITA — Well round up some $2 bills and get me to Vegas.
Turns out when I said my money was on George W. Bush being the speaker for the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting this year, I was right.
The former president will follow in his father’s footsteps — again — when he appears at Century II on Nov. 3.
George H.W. Bush spoke at the chamber’s annual meeting in 2005 and drew the biggest audience to date for the event with 4,000 people.
Truth be told, I had a little help in my prediction. A tipster dressed as a Secret Service agent dropped off a $2 bill as a hint Tuesday.
Since Thomas Jefferson is on the bill, I almost took it to mean William Jefferson Clinton would be this year’s speaker.
Given the Republican-leaning chamber’s choice among four living ex presidents — two Democrats and one who already spoke here — narrowing down the list wasn’t exactly rocket science.
Still, just in case, I may go buy a lottery ticket.
WICHITA — The Secret Service served Wichita media outlets with some papers today.
Fortunately, perhaps, for us, it wasn’t the real Secret Service.
A quite official-looking young man sporting a signature dark suit and shades and carrying a black briefcase delivered invitations to a 10 a.m. Tuesday news conference to announce the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting speaker.
The Nov. 3 event “has the potential to go down as our organization’s biggest ever,” the invitation declared.
One media member received a second sealed envelope while at lunch. It contained a $2 bill.
A tip, you might say.
Clearly, with the Secret Service involvement, it appears a former president will be this year’s speaker.
But which one?