David > Recent Status Updates

This chapter, Putting Points on the Board, describes some of the challenges and strategy of getting a resolution on Libya when Qaddafi was attacking protesters, who were based in Benghazi.

In this chapter, High-Stakes Diplomacy, she describes a number of negotiations, some successful and some not, that she had as secretary to the UN. Sudan and South Sudan, newly split as a result of negotiations, quickly became a disappointment because of renewed and continued violence.

Chapter Represent covers the first years of the Obama WH and her time as UN secretary. She talks about tension with Hillary, or at least some of her staff, after she went with Obama's campaign instead of HRC's. And there's talk about the Waldorf Astoria where the US has an apartment for the UN secretary's use, in particular how big it was and how old and deteriorating it was. Plus anecdotes about UN business.

In the chapter Going Global she talks about her think tank work after working in the Clinton WH, enduring 9/11 in the private sector but dealing with the shock and anger of being blamed inaccurately and unfairly as part of the cause of the attack, about working some on John Kerry's campaign, meeting Obama, having a 2nd child in those years, working on Obama's campaign. Living her motto-Get Shit Done.

Some good stories of difficulties in the late 90s in Clinton's admin -- bombings in Africa, tough news about her staff feeling overworked, Holbrooke disrespecting her multiple times. She finds her way through, but seems to wish sometimes now that she'd had skills to do it less brutishly (e.g. without the middle finger extended, as in Holbrooke's case).

It seems she still gets blamed, by some, for the death of a Nigerian who might have been elected president. And negotiating between Ethiopia and Eritrea was not so easy.

Kinda sneaky to suggest a 'todo' pile between keep and donate, then basically suggest if something made it into 'todo' it's probably not that close to you anyway, so just donate it!

Lots of experiences for a young staffer, being involved in policy discussions regarding Rwanda and the ethnic killing going on there in the early 90s when she had joined the Clinton administration. Just a couple years later she was promoted to a senior director in the NSC. Later still she was offered another promotion but was hesitant because she was 2 months pregnant at age 31 (IIRC). But she ended up accepting.

Personal info about her time at Stanford, meeting sr. Ian as a freshman, becoming a Rhodes scholar, experiencing the good a bad if Oxford, traveling internationally for enjoyment through Africa, Russia, China, and elsewhere. Eventually agreeing to married life with Ian and getting married. That skims the surface of topics covered, but most importantly it was an enjoyable read. Now on to Part II.

Russia, Russia, Russia. Here he recounts some of his experience with Russian intelligence, including some of the timeline of info showing Russian interference in the 2016 election.

As he described the shenanigans related to the Panetta report it made me think of the movie I started to watch a while ago but haven't finished, The Report. Sure enough, he calls it out specifically as a piece created by someone (Dan Jones) upset about their interpretation of what happened, which doesn't match very closely with Brennan's recollections.

Soon after becoming CIA director in Obama's 2nd term he sets up a research committee that leads to a major reorganization of the agency. Because he knows he needs people on board with the changes to make it work he has to replace the deputy.

Also he brags up his support for diversity including LGBTQ members, and notes a few high profile positions where he named women.

He gets to be CIA director in Obama's 2nd term.

Bin Laden.

Just covering some background so far - their philosophy of decluttering vs. organizing. They cast a little (likely deserved) shade on Kondo's concept of things that spark joy, thinking it's too easy for some to use that as the reason to keep the 15th cute swimsuit. It will be interesting to see where they'll end up with these thoughts. Oh, and the few photos of spaces included have their own intrigue.

Sounds like young years were rough but educational, with her parents fighting all the time and then separating, continuing to fight through legal channels for custody and visitation rights. She acknowledges she gained resiliency and coping skills but clearly resents having had to grow up in those ways so early in life.

Getting on board with Obama. There were numerous challenges, like H1N1 and airplane bombs (or would-be bombers whose devices malfunctioned), but the chapter ends with Sandy Hook and the tears shed by Obama and him upon finding out most of the victims were little children.

Finally near the end we get the story about where the title of the book comes from (essentially we are all "watchers" of those we care about). And all the threads of the story come together with suspense and some humor (ironic humor, maybe?). A satisfying conclusion to this story.

Advisor to the Obama campaign; considered for CIA director, causing some on the left to push back because of his involvement with post-9/11 interrogation methods like waterboarding; then selection to be a presidential advisor, which doesn't require congressional approval. Quite the rollercoaster!

It's good to have a determined and loyal legal professional on your side, at least in novels! And of course we have to be worried about signs that Einstein might be sick, especially after the story made a strong point about him not getting vaccinated because of the risk of discovery.

Whew! Lots happened: side stories of hit man and feds, Travis and Nora elope, the Outsider is waiting for them when they return from their honeymoon, they run away and acquire new identities, they figure out multiple ways to communicate with Einstein. Now on to Part 2.

The relationship between Travis and Nora is progressing nicely. We've had a tense scene between a 13-year-old girl and her new horse with the Outsider, and a cop just got savaged by it while his partner was able to get away (we think) by crashing through a plate window of the tract home under construction.
Nora found out where her aunt's money came from (dead husband), freeing her feelings about life.

Travis and Einstein head to the park and the dog figures out Nora is being bothered by Streck, whom they drive off. Nora retreats to home, eventually thinks about trying to get the dog to protect her but isn't brave enough to talk. Einstein figures out it was her and gets Travis to take them to her house, just in time to help her as it turned out.