He said it during our encounter Sunday on Randy Roth's "Price of Paradise" show on Hawaii Public Radio.
Then he said, grumpily, that that probably would be the first thing the media would report out of our entire hourlong discussion about the role of government in our lives.
Well, I hate to disappoint people so I felt I should lead the column with that bit of news, even though it's not very funny. KHON Channel 2 also reported it. So, I guess you were right, Governor. We are scum.
I told him that as much as I've enjoyed dumping on the Capitol renovation as a colossal waste of tax money during a bad economy, the deed is done. It's time to move on.
I had more important things to talk about, like the time I almost beaned him with a golf ball.
Waihee claimed he didn't remember the incident. (Memory loss is a common affliction of those who move to Washington, D.C.).
He did say that one of his son's favorite lines is one I coined back when Waihee was in office: "How do you know when Gov. Waihee is on the island? He steals your tee time."
To appreciate that joke, you have to remember that, when it comes to traveling, Waihee was no Ben Cayetano. You can't get Gov. Cayetano off the island with a cattle prod. Waihee jetted all over the place to attend important seminars such as the "Western Governors Conference on Green Fees." He said these trips were necessary to drum up business for the state, attract tourists and to turn the state into a financial dynamo. Well, we know how that turned out.
Anyway, here's the historical foundation for the golf remark:
Some friends and I were about to tee off at the Pearl Ridge golf course. Waihee apparently was on island. In fact, he and his buddies showed up at the links. Naturally, the starter sent them out in front of us, even though they didn't have a tee time. Everything was hunky-dory until the third hole, which is a par three.
For nongolfers, a par three is a short hole and you should be able to land on the green with your first shot, although few do. To speed up play, once you are on the green, you are supposed to "wave up" the group behind you, that is, let them hit.
So the governor waved us up.
I'LL never forget it. There was the governor, standing on the green next to the flag, theoretically the safest place to be. I hit one of the best shots of my life. It went high. Then it started coming down toward the flag stick. As it picked up speed, Waihee and his buddies on the green realized they were in peril. As the ball raced toward them like a Scud missile, the governor's group fled from the green. The ball smacked down just feet from the pin. How often do you get to fire golf balls at a governor? Is this a great state or what?
Shortly after that incident, I heard that Waihee had given up golf in favor of driving race cars.
Waihee said the golf story must be wrong because if anyone had endangered his life like that, his security detail would have returned fire, and not with golf balls. I think he was joking.
Since he has gotten that job working in Washington, he apparently has started golfing again. In fact, he said he had just played a round with President Clinton.
Well, this is just so cool. I mean, Waihee is an FOB (Friend of Bill) and Clinton is a FIV (Frequent Island Visitor). That means that one day they might play golf again here together. That means I might be in the group behind them. And that means I might have the chance to hit a golf ball at both a former governor AND the president of the United States. Is this a great country, or what?
