Noted political strategist and pundit James Carville recently headlined a breakfast for current and former House Chiefs of Staff on June 18, 2007. Carville, the principal strategist behind then-governor Bill Clinton's successful 1992 presidential campaign and a former co-host of CNN's Crossfire, spoke to members about his predictions for the upcoming 2008 presidential election. Carville dispensed political wisdom and fielded questions with his trademark candor, leaving members pleasantly entertained.
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Journalist Martha Raddatz spoke at a HCOSAA luncheon on April 30, 2007. The Chief White House Correspondent for ABC News made brief comments about her book, The Long Road Home: A Story of War and Family, and spent a significant amount of time analyzing the current political situation in Iraq. Raddatz has journeyed to Iraq 13 times and has been afforded unprecedented access to US troops operating in the region.
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On January 22, 2007, Associate Justice Antonin Scalia of the United States Supreme Court addressed a crowded audience of current and former House Chiefs of Staff in the Rayburn House Office Building. The prominent American jurist spoke on conservative and liberal perceptions of the court, and of his own propensity to side away from the court's conservative-leaning justices on a wide variety of decisions that often receive less attention from the national media.
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich spoke to an audience of current and past House Administrative Assistants and Chiefs of Staff on Monday, December 12, 2006.
James Lee Witt, a former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), spoke before a gathering of House Chiefs of Staff Alumni Association members at a luncheon on October 24, 2005. He powerfully described the post-Hurricane Katrina situation in New Orleans, drawing from his experience as a consultant to Governor Kathleen Blanco and the State of Louisiana. He also discussed the differences between his approach to emergency management and response to that of the current administration.
Gen. Barry McCaffrey addressed a lunch of current and former Chiefs of Staff on Monday, October 3rd, 2005. Gen. McCaffrey was the former Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the former commanding general of the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) in Operation Desert Storm. He spoke candidly of his criticisms of how poorly the war in Iraq has been conducted and the devastating effect the war is having on National Guard readiness.
On July 25, 2005, Ambassador Gaddi Vasquez, US Representative to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, gave a compelling and emotional presentation on the global undertakings of the Peace Corps during his previous stint as the agency's Director. He relayed a number of both humorous and poignant anecdotes from his tenure with the Peace Corps and presented several video segments that connected the history of the Peace Corps with the agency's present day activities.
Tony Tavares, President of the Washington Nationals, spoke to current and former Chiefs of Staff on June 6, 2005. The speech conveniently coincided with the Nationals gaining sole possession of first place in the National League East. Tavares helped members understand the driving forces behind the team's recent success. His dialogue about on and off-the-field issues facing the organization was informative and refreshing.
In an event sponsored by General Electric, Pulitzer Prize winning author Steve Coll spoke to a group of current and former Chiefs of Staff about his book Ghost Wars which traces the activities of Al Qaeda leading up to 9/11. With experience as a foreign correspondent for the Washington Post, Coll described the reporting behind the book that took him deep into terrorist havens in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He also described the remarkable dichotomy of opinion on President Bush in the region saying "People criticize him viciously, then ask to be assured that he will 'stay the course' in his fight against the insurgents in Iraq."
