... in which Kerry gets philosophical, a bit, too:
A Windsurfer in the White House?"It's a tough job! Somebody has gotta do it." - John Chao, editor/publisher of American Windsurfer, kept up with Senator John Kerry for a full year to bring you this extraordinary portrait in words and photographs of a man, navigating through the forces of life. SENATOR JOHN KERRY was being pulverized by 40 knot winds. His windsurfing buddy cringed at the sight of a United States Senator being tossed around like a rag doll and splattered time and time again onto the forgiving waters of his beloved state of Massachusetts. For three hours, Kerry felt the rage of the wind and struggled to leverage his body against the gale force-finding balance briefly, only to lose it in spectacular crashes. Nevin Sayre, the windsurfer whose equipment the Senator was borrowing, was amazed at the warrior's perseverance and was worried about the Senator's safety. He could see the New York Times headline blaming him for the loss of a luminary. For even he, a former professional windsurfer, had difficulties in these overpowering conditions. "Finally," recounts Sayre, the 54-year old Senator dragged himself out of the water and, grinning from ear to ear, proclaimed the experience as . . . "OUTSTANDING!"
Senator JOHN KERRY sat at the head of a conference table. I watched from the side of the room. To his left was Governor Tom Carper of Delaware and surrounding them were lawyers, lobbyists and various representatives from Amtrak. They were gathered at Kerry's senate office to discuss issues that were holding up the passage of the Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act of 1997. Kerry listened intently. I saw him pick up on the words, but more importantly I knew he heard the sounds, catching weakness in subtle hesitations or strengths from the voices of the lobbyists. (I know this because in the many conversations I've had with John Kerry, he has exhibited an uncanny ability to catch vocal tones that reveal one's true disposition. He picks up on tones and verbally questions or reflects upon them with profound accuracy.) When the arguments were presented, Kerry spoke with authority. His voice has a deep resonance of intelligence and weight; it's a voice that commands attention. He pinpointed the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments and in a shepherd-like manner, he masterfully synthesized the opposing arguments to a point of seamless balance. "I have never seen anyone grasp issues as quickly as this man," said Gregg Rothchild, one of Kerry's many legal aides. "It is amazing how he can bring people together to a common denominator." I watched in awe. A room full of hard core politicians and lobbyists with vested interests were brought together to a point of sensible compromise. The Amtrak bill passed a week later.
John Kerry waded upwind at the event Site in Hood River, Oregon. It was mid-afternoon and the Senator had been struggling with unfamiliar equipment in an unfamiliar territory since 9:00 AM. As far as the windsurfers on the Columbia River Gorge were concerned, Kerry was just another ordinary windsurfer trying to find balance in the shifting winds of the day. With him were Olympic champion Mike Gebhardt and Sam Grossman, a windsurfing friend who flew in with the Senator that morning. It takes an average windsurfer a day or two to acclimate themselves to the Gorge's extreme conditions. John Kerry did not have that luxury. Gebhardt, a three time Olympic Champion, sailed with the Senator all morning, barking instructions at him. Later in the afternoon, Gebhardt and I rested on the bank watching Kerry drag his equipment up wind for the umpteenth time- we marveled at the man's endurance. "You know, not many people from his position of power and wealth would put up with this kind of humiliation," said Gebhardt to me. "You really feel stupid having someone like me yelling instructions at you. It's degrading, you feel like a school kid . . .This sport is incredibly humbling and it's great to see a guy like that out there trying! Really impressive!" When we bade farewell that afternoon, Kerry's exuberance was unmistakable. With a youthful dragon-slayer's delight written all over his face, John Kerry made me feel like I'd just witnessed the best day of his life. However humbling or frustrating it may be, this man clearly thrives on challenges, has the capacity to endure, and can elevate his skills to match the foe.
It was 1996, during a tight race between John Kerry and Governor Bill Weld for the Senate seat that Kerry had held for the previous two terms. The two Bay State giants were beating each other up badly in a desperate battle for the seat. To prepare their candidate for a series of debates Kerry's staff brought in political consultant Bob Schrum to help in the final two month of the campaign. The challenge was to take whatever provocations the opposition threw at him and turn them into his own message. Bruce Droste, Kerry's brotherly best friend, sat and watched the preparations and thought to himself, "This is brutal!" Afterwards, in the car, Droste noticed Kerry's countenance and asked, "Johnny, are you OK?" Kerry turned to Droste and replied, "You know, the negativity of the last weeks is not fun. This is not the way it should be. This
is distasteful." The two men looked at each other and with a nod, acknowledged the brutality that politics has on human sensitivity. Kerry went on to win the toughest and most expensive election of his career, a race that cost each camp 12 million dollars. Six months later, Weld made a bid for the ambassadorship to Mexico-a move that unfortunately brought his political career to a screeching halt. Firmly planted in his way was an intransigent and powerful Jesse Helms, who refused to open the door for a simple hearing. Seeing the injustice, Kerry could have easily stayed in the background. Instead he stood up against the potent Helms and wholeheartedly came to the aid of Weld- his 12 million dollar foe.
CONTINUED...
http://www.americanwindsurfer.com/mag/back/issue5.5a.html