DATELINE: Hotel near Fort Meade, MD, 3 May 2006

Alas, CSPAN has already passed on the Hudson Institute tomorrow, but my host Richard Weitz reports a lot of press showing up, including multiple foreign press from a number of New Core (TASS from Russia, for example) and Seam States (Mexico, Turkey). Over a hundred RVSPs so far, and a mix Hudson doesn't usually draw, so happiness there.

Flew to DC Reagan this morning early after dropping kids at school and running garbage to curb (ah, the routines of suburban fatherhood!). Rode USAIR, which has to have the least legroom of any planes on the planet. Naturally, I got the very tall man who wanted to sleep in front of me. I ended up reading about a dozen old WSJs and NYTs, collecting a ton of articles for about 6 posts. Never got to writing them, though.

As soon as I land in DC, it's a lunch with an OSD guy working Afghanistan and Iraq, as Steve and I continue working our Development-in-a-Box concept. Then a quick stop to Enterra's new DC offices. Then a dash to our favorite DC hotel where Steve swaps out clothes he still had on from red-eye flight from Vegas (big IT conference; Steve has an amazing capacity to function with little sleep).

Then we cab it to the Hart building and do about 30 minutes with Senator Sam Brownback from Kansas.

It was a clean-slate presentation, where I do the life story very fast and then lapse into almost book-tourish renditions of PNM and BFA. Brownback asks very penetrating questions on the A-to-Z rule set on processing politically-bankrupt states. We also talk China and Iran (Larry Kudlow's arguments on soft-killing Iran triggered this meeting), with Steve making some great points.

Then we get all set to dive into Development-in-a-Box and we're trumped by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, plus a roll call.

So we part promising to link up again (who knows), but we'll definitely follow-up with nice hardcovers of both of my books and some literature on both Enterra and DiB.

All in all, Brownback comes off as very impressive in person. Not afraid to let himself be seen thinking. No pomposity. Very with you when he's with you. By the time we're done touring the world, I'm not finding much we disagree on.

Two things he didn't say impressed me most. He didn't say, "What can I do for you today?" Nor did he say, "What I really need is... In short, he avoided the cut-to-the-chase tone you often get with lawmakers, like they want their piece of cheese before leaving the meeting, or expect you to ask for yours. This guy wanted real dialogue, and he got it.

I came away impressed.