The President elegantly flicked his cigarette into the bay and assured me he would take the suggestion on advisement. In concluding our discussion I left the President with words of encouragement and recalled my father’s wise counsel of perseverance.

“I am an old hand at sailing, Mr. President, and I have learned that the winds do not always blow one’s way,” I said. “When you find yourself in the doldrums, I want you to know that all of us in the conservative intellectual movement will be there to blow you.”