[img caption=”Matt Continetti, desert bandito.” float=”right” width=”400″ height=”300″ render=”<%photoRenderType%>”]8864[/img] Somewhere in the Pacific
THURSDAY BEGAN with a great presentation by Bill Kristol on the state of world affairs, touching on domestic politics, the challenge to a Republican party that controls both Congress and the White House, the danger posed by Iran, and the fluidity of the post-9/11 world (and also the state of the airline industry: five days after flying into San Diego, Fred Barnes still hasn’t gotten one of his bags). After that, Steve Hayes and Christian Lowe, both of whom have spent significant time in Iraq and Afghanistan, joined Kristol for a panel on Iraq, al Qaeda, and the war on terrorism.
The afternoon panel was a look ahead to the 2006 election with Kristol, Fred Barnes, and Matt Continetti–the general feeling seemed to be not entirely optimistic for Republican chances. Kristol and Barnes both noted that it is not uncommon for a party to have significant losses in the House but to hold fast in the Senate. There was lots of talk about what may be two of the bigger issues in 2006: the new prescription dug benefit and immigration.
Friday morning’s panel will examine the ground being laid for the 2008 presidential contest and then, in the afternoon session, we’ll throw the floor open to a long Q&A session.
It’s been a great week. From Cabo San Lucas to Mazatlán to Puerto Vallarta, all of our destinations made for fun visits. Even more fun was getting to know the folks on the cruise. We had long hospitable dinner parties every night and lots of good conversations. I’ve gotten to meet doctors and generals, artists and lawyers, financial analysts and pilots, physicists and college professors. One of the joys of these cruises is that they’re centered around formal presentations and events, but some of the best interactions are the informal ones: bumping new friends at the gym, or in the lounge, or even on the basketball court.
We’re finalizing the plans for next year’s cruise now and if you send us an email to [email protected] with your name and address, we’ll let you know all the details so you can have first crack at getting a space onboard. (We won’t use your email for any other purpose, promise.)
I hope you can join us next year.
–Jonathan V. Last
