But at the end of the day -- and the end is what counts in politics -- Hurd was served up the softest of softballs by U.S. Rep. Michael C. Burgess of the 26th District of Texas.[...]
Then Hurd invoked the deity: "One of our founders, David Packard, said, 'There'll never be a time when we don't make mistakes. The defining point will be what we do about them.' I promise we are committed to our core to define our company in a way we can be proud of.''
That was what the panel craved -- the penance, the vow to sin no more, even the hope that HP will put a plant in their district. If nothing else, Hurd's testimony demonstrated just how much high-tech executives have learned about the needs of Congress.
