Oil and Gas in Irving, TX during the late '80's ('88 or '89, some time in there). The work was primarily network installations, WAN connectivity, and user support for various office suites around the metroplex and for the main campus. GW was a director of Harken, at the time. I wasn't so much working with him as for him, with a couple veeps and a facilities manager interposed, so my experience of the man was not on a peer-to-peer basis. Bush, even then, was emphatic about getting into the Middle East -- Bahrain, IIRC. (O-kay, that was a cheap snipe. Sorry. Sorta. ;-)> ) As I mentioned, above, I was impressed by his business acumen -- as a company director, he needed to watch the bottom line closely, and he did so. But I don't recall ever hearing him speak of concern for his employees, other than the standard "our employees are our most important asset" bs that every inhabitant of mohagony row has committed to memory. He really gave me the impression, every time I heard him speak, of thinking of the business as a vehicle for money instead of as a whole business -- i.e. a source of jobs, an influence in the community, or even as competition to other energy companies. As I said, the guy basically struck me as a cold fish.
It didn't stop me from voting for him six years ago, though. (Two years ago, I pencilled in "Rocky and Bullwinkle" for the presidential ballot as a protest.) I just never really warmed to the guy. |
