Steve Fiffer
I confess that George H.W. Bush was not my favorite president. But he’s the only President of the United States, I’ve ever met. And certainly, the only one to give me a gift. Here’s the story behind the cufflinks pictured above:
In 2002, a strange series of events led to an unlikely collaboration with former Secretary of State James A. Baker III (or as I called him for four years, “Mr. Baker”) on his political memoir, “Work Hard, Study, and Keep Out of Politics.” We were strange bedfellows, but the project was fascinating—offering me insights into the thinking of those on the other side of the aisle and an unforgettable week for my wife Sharon and me at the Baker summer retreat, a 1600-acre ranch in Wyoming.
It’s well known that Baker and “41” were bffs. And when Baker’s first wife died of breast cancer leaving him with four young sons, it was Bush who helped draw him out of his grief by asking him to run his campaign for Congress. Thus began a political partnership that lasted for decades.
Another confession: I didn’t need to interview the former president (as well as CIA director, envoy to China, and Veep), but how many times does such an opportunity present itself? So in January of 2005, Sharon, our then 17-year-old son Rob, and I traveled to Houston. After breakfast at the Bakers, we drove to a nondescript bank building. Sharon dropped Rob and me off and went to park. Under the watchful eye of a Secret Service Agent—who already had our names—we signed in and were admitted to a modest office suite.
My 20-minute interview was interrupted twice. First by a phone call from Acting CIA Director Porter Goss and then by a call from Barbara Bush. During “Bar’s” call, 41 asked Rob to get his glasses from his desk. Rob politely pointed out that said glasses were on the former president’s forehead.
When the interview ended, I mentioned that Rob played a mean third base for his high school baseball team, and that I was aware that when Bush had captained the Yale baseball team he had been photographed with Babe Ruth. 41 then asked one of his staffers to bring him a copy of the photo, which he inscribed to Rob. He also gave us each a pair of presidential cufflinks and we posed for the obligatory photo.
Sharon has no photo or jewelry to write about because the Secret Service—recognizing her as the clear and present danger she is—refused to admit her, as her name was not on the list. She has never let me forget this.
I have never worn the cufflinks, as I have no shirts with French cuffs. But I wear a smile every time I see them in my desk drawer. Someday, I’ll get some use out of those, I think.
And now I have.
