Jeanne Phillips chairs the Presidential Inaugural Committee. Some of the answers in this interview are revealing.
She once canceled her wedding to work for Poppy, but her (now) husband understood. He's a psychotherapist, but that's ok because he also has a "little international consulting firm". (She's a consultant for Hunt oil)
The interviewer at the Times, Deborah Solomon, should be noted for asking some surprising questions...
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Q: I hear one of the balls will be reserved for troops who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan.
A: Yes, the Commander-in-Chief Ball. That is new. It will be about 2,000 servicemen and their guests. And that should be a really fun event for them.
Q: As an alternative way of honoring them, did you or the president ever discuss canceling the nine balls and using the $40 million inaugural budget to purchase better equipment for the troops?
A: I think we felt like we would have a traditional set of events and we would focus on honoring the people who are serving our country right now -- not just the people in the armed forces, but also the community volunteers, the firemen, the policemen, the teachers, the people who serve at, you know, the -- well, it's called the StewPot in Dallas, people who work with the homeless.
Q: How do any of them benefit from the inaugural balls?
A: I'm not sure that they do benefit from them.
Q: Then how, exactly, are you honoring them?
A: Honoring service is what our theme is about.http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/02/magazine/02QUESTIONS.html?oref=login&oref=login&oref=loginPhillips snagged an admin job in Paris after the last inauguration.
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