Always the politician
Martín Torrijos, the president of Panama, dined at Morton’s on Connecticut Avenue on Tuesday night in advance of his Wednesday meeting with President Bush. And he didn’t leave the politicking behind in his home country. Before he sat down to eat, the president made it a point to introduce himself to everyone in the restaurant, including kitchen staff and guests. According to General Manager Dan Festa, Torrijos chatted with all of them for a significant amount of time, and then struck up another conversation with the staff after dinner.
The Panamanian delegation consisted of 18 people in one of Morton’s boardrooms, plus an additional 10 people arrived a half an hour later and sat adjacent to them in the main dining room. The president hadn’t eaten all day, which explains his choice of entree: the 48-ounce porterhouse steak, which he split with a friend at the table.
After his meeting with President Bush on Wednesday, the two exchanged the typical pleasantries in front of the press about their mutual admiration, cooperation between countries, etc.
