Kevin Roberts: “the first time I met Mike Johanns was in Hutchison, KS. Hutchison, KS, is where we have the State fair every year. I was…”

“the first time I met Mike Johanns was in Hutchison, KS. Hutchison, KS, is where we have the State fair every year. I was somebody then. I was the chairman of the sometimes powerful House Committee on Agriculture, and I had made a pitch to get the Secretary of Agriculture to actually come to the fair, thinking that Mike Johanns would be a far better speaker than myself and maybe I could avoid some trouble. So I had the Secretary come and I made the promise that every farmer who wanted to ask the Secretary of Agriculture a question would have that opportunity. I hadn't bothered to tell Mike about it, but when he arrived on the scene, he nodded his head and said: Fine. He had this yellow tablet under his arm, and with ample staff, some who used to work for me, but that is beside the point. So cutting things short, all the activities in the State fair he attended, and he dutifully went around to every exhibit, and we finally ended up in the amphitheater and there must have been 150 to 175 farmers all lined up waiting to speak to or to question the Secretary of Agriculture. I thought to myself: Oh, my gosh, what have I done? The Secretary is coming in--I didn't know Mike that well at that particular time--and what have I gotten him into? But Mike didn't seem to be bothered at all. He was absolutely comfortable, unflappable.…”