Kempthorne: ‘And she said, ‘Sweetheart…’

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, former governor of Idaho, U.S. Senator and mayor of Boise, gave what he said was likely his last formal speech as interior secretary today, speaking to a large audience at a forum sponsored by the City Club of Boise and the Idaho Environmental Forum. Kempthorne had lots of reflections on his career and the issues he’s tackled. He also brought down the house with this story, which was met with loud laughter from all, including his blushing wife, Patricia:

“I took the oath of office in May of 2006. On one of those spring afternoons, Patricia and I were standing out on the balcony of that historic office, looking out at all of the monuments, which are now part of the jurisdiction. I will tell you that as a child I used to get those calendars that had the pictures of the monuments and I would just stare at them hoping some day I’d get to see ‘em. I was in my 30s before I ever got to see them, never suspecting I’d ever be responsible for their well-being. As we stood there on that balcony, I said to Patricia, ‘In your wildest dreams, did you ever think that we’d be standing here like this?’ And she said, ‘Sweetheart, you’re never in my wildest dreams.’”