When famed author and reporter Bob Woodward asked a Wyoming audience recently if they thought President Barack Obama was doing a good job – about 12 out of 500 hands went up.

         Later when he asked how many people thought the economy was improving, an overwhelming majority of people raised their hands.

         Thus is the paradox of booming Wyoming compared to the rest of the struggling country.

         Woodward is a terrific speaker who keynoted the Wyoming Business Alliance annual forum in Cheyenne.  He also was able to tell “insider” stories that were fascinating.

         He is an impartial reporter but he has strong feelings about how the president is performing.  He feels Obama has few allies in Washington, DC and around the world.        

         “You need a pound of threat and an ounce of action in order to be a good president,” Woodward said, quoting a longtime senior presidential advisor.  He said Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, has no fear whatsoever of Obama.

         The Cheyenne meeting also included a talk by Garry Kasparov, the leading opposition leader to the Russian president. He offered some amazing insights.

         He said Putin is a bully, a tyrant and is the most powerful man in the world today. “All he cares about is oil and gas and how to have Mother Russia regain her previous land mass and international power.”

         Kasparov quoted a British diplomat who was disappointed in President Obama:  “Obama is the only president in history who could make Jimmy Carter look like Winston Churchill.”

         His comments were chilling as he predicted a world where Putin will continue to push limits and an impotent Obama will make empty threats.

         It was interesting that two men so totally different as Woodward and Kasparov would be so unanimous in their criticism of the president.

         Woodward said one of the Congress’s most powerful Democrats confided to him that Obama had only phoned him twice in five years.  “The president has no network,” he said.

         Despite the partial improvement of the national economy under Obama, neither speaker chose to give Obama credit for doing anything well over the past six years.

         This was the 32^nd annual forum, which also includes Wyoming Heritage Society and Leadership Wyoming. It is the definitive meeting of movers and shakers in Wyoming.  Just about everybody wanting to take the pulse of the state shows up, which is why I have been to most of the forums over the years.

         There were lots of other interesting speakers and eye-opening facts presented.

         Joe Bastardi, of WeatherBell, showed stacks of figures to disprove the whole concept of global warming.  Pretty convincing to this crowd. Another speaker who followed him tried to offer a contrasting view but fell pretty flat.

         Gov. Matt Mead optimistically talked about how “wired” Wyoming will soon be which kicked off the event. He explained that Wyoming, even though it is the smallest populated state, will have digital power available to its citizens as powerful as anywhere in the county.

         The state’s second largest industry is doing very well. A tourism panel revealed that last year Wyoming did $3.2 billion in total business with over 30,000 people working in the industry, according to Diane Shober, director of the travel and tourism.

         Sheridan was highlighted as being a top town to capitalize on its western heritage.  It was number one western town in USA says Dave Kinksey, long time Sheridan mayor and new state senator. He showed some fun slides of how folks in that northern Wyoming city enjoy themselves by touting their cowboy heritage. 

He said the third Thursday promotion in Sheridan was born – they close streets and allow music and fun, etc.  He said they use “best management” practices to keep excess drinking under control.

He also showed how folks in Buffalo have exploited the Longmire TV show and how Kaycee has interesting events and places.

         Game and Fish Director Scott Talbott talked about how wildlife is terrific draw for tourists coming to Wyoming. He also pointed out that some of these folks are thrilled just to see a coyote, prairie dog or a jackrabbit. Our state’s ability to show off our wildlife in incomparable to anywhere else in the USA

He also quoted our Wyoming ethic “to leave things better than we found them. We have an obligation to if we find one blade of grass, to leave two.” He also credited the 300 licensed guides and outfitters in Wyoming with making all this work.