"By the time this TV program is broadcast, I might be wearing a ring on my finger," smiled Senator Daniel Inouye, as he sat down with me for the taping of LONG STORY SHORT.
He'll be a bridegroom at age 84.
As it turns out, our two LONG STORY SHORT episodes featuring the Senator will make the air before he reaches the altar. We'll present them on PBS Hawaii at 7:30 pm Tuesday, May 13, and Tuesday, May 20. His small private Los Angeles wedding ceremony with California museum executive Irene Hirano takes place May 24th.
As distinguished as he always is, he's also just a little bit giddy these days. That's love for you.
LONG STORY SHORT looks at the individual behind the public persona. So instead of asking the Senator about his latest vote or what's next in the Presidential campaign, I wanted to understand who he is at this point in his life.
What quickly unfolded was the strong ambition--for Hawaii and for himself--that still drives him at a time in life when many of his peers have been retired for 20 years.
Senator Inouye is intent and intense, about moving up in seniority and power in the Senate. He speaks like a young man starting out in life, brimming with optimism and plans, when he's asked to envision his future. There's no thought of retiring, no resting on his laurels, no treading water. It's all about continuing to rise strategically in the hallowed hide-bound traditions of the Senate.
And despite the bad rap on "earmarks," or what's better known in Hawaii as pork-barrel spending, in the Presidential campaign, Inouye is determined to keep using the process to bring money home to his district.
And then there are his upcoming nuptials. He's absolutely delighted at the prospect of having Irene as his life companion and partner. But there's no sense he'll cut back on his work; instead he'll schedule differently to spend quality time with new bride.
He tells of poignant final days with Maggie, his late wife of nearly 57 years.
A short time before dying of cancer in 2006, she asked him if she could be buried with him at Punchbowl National Cemetery of the Pacific.
He said, "Of course." She paused and pointed out that Punchbowl only allows one spouse per burial and that he likely would have another wife.
Inouye promised Maggie that she would be the one resting in peace with him at Punchbowl when the time comes.
The child they had together, long since grown up and married himself, will serve as the Senator's best man at this month's wedding.
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