Many people were surprised when Janet Napolitano endorsed the candidacy of BHO in the primary, especially when the Arizona Democrats cast their ballots for Hillary. I wasn't one of them. Let me explain.
I first got to know Janet when she was Attorney General. Jon Kyl had successfully supported a bill on the Hill that was a landmark in helping victims of domestic violence. At that time I was working in an organization that had identified an effective violence prevention program and one of my board members had arranged a lunch meeting with Janet to see if we could engage her support for the work we were doing. The funding from the Feds was to be distributed by the state attorneys general.
My board member and I arrived at the restaurant early. We decided to go to our table as the place usually fills to capacity at lunchtime. Our meeting was scheduled for noon. By 12:15 we figured that she was a no-show. Just as we were about to order, in swept Janet and her assistant. She deftly worked the crowd on her way to our table and when she got to us, she took a seat that gave her maximum exposure. I watched her case the joint before she settled her attention on us.
My board member was a celebrity sucker and I could see that she lost focus and became a fawning fan. In a way this was perfect as I got to be in the observer's seat. As the conversation progressed, Janet described her recent campaign trip to Northern Arizona. She was testing the waters for a run for governor and had doubled down on a trip to that part of the state for official Attorney General business as an opportunity to survey the constituents on their prime policy issues. That narrative proved to be an insightful look into her motives and character.
I won't get all GW on you and say I looked into her soul and.... but I will say that I agree with the poet, the eyes are the windows to the soul. What I saw during that conversation was validated over and over again by her actions as both AG and governor was the thirst for and need for power.
During our conversation that day, she played my board member like a fiddle. Let me just say that this person had tons of cash and I am sure that Janet had done her preliminary "findings" on her prior to the meeting. She probably had dismissed me as I never have had tons of cash. And it was apparent that her focus and probably reason for the meeting was to make a connection with another significant donor.
Here's how she did it. Janet gave my board member her undivided attention. She directed her assistant to write down the significant points. She nodded in agreement at the appropriate time. The coup d'grace was when she told my board member that her assistant would be assigned to work on this project and he would report directly to her because this was an issue that mattered deeply to her. In fact, Janet stated, this was one of her top priorities for the year. Then she gathered herself up and signaled to her toady that it was time to leave. Being overly gracious, she held my board member's hand just a little longer and told her to keep in touch.
I pulled out my barf bag but my board member was convinced that we had a friend in high office and this project was a done deal.
Here's the rest of the story. Nothing ever happened with the request. No phone calls, no letters of support, no funding, no personal appearances, no contact with the toady. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zero. But at the next board meeting guess who was wearing a Janet button?
If you look at her tenure as governor, she was never an Arizonan. She followed the Democrat play book and depleted the state treasury saying it was for the children. She tested the waters and convinced enough people that she was tough on the boarder and crime. Never mind the facts that Arizona continues its educational decline, its loss of jobs and increases in foreclosures (as of this writing number 3 in the nation). Never mind that open boarders policies that have increased violent crime in the state. Never mind the dilution of the state Constitution to open the way for the imposition of more social engineering.
So America, be ready. As Secretary of Homeland Security, what is it that she is seeking to secure? Her power or America? Checkmate.
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