THE ENTERPRISE
GOOD THINGS THAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK
--Patty Sheehan decided to go back to being a mother of her remaining children.
--Paris Hilton got sent wailing back to jail by an outraged judge.
--The Cleveland Cavaliers made the NBA Finals.
--Ben Bernanke clarified that the Fed doesn't intend to meddle with interest rates near term.
--Some positive retail results showed up--albeit Wal-Mart is not among them. The behemoth is suffering from self-inflicted wounds. For the past ten years, I have been asked repeatedly "who can stop Wal-Mart?" My answer has been, consistently, "Only Wal-Mart can stop Wal-Mart--and someday, it will."
A THREE HORSE RACE--
We now have three good, viable Republican candidates emerging:
--Rudy Guiliani, who is arguably the toughest, most centrist of the three, with a track record of "fixing NYC" but with personal baggage and the specific NON-support of the Christian right. He'd my choice if leading us against terrorism is the number one priority BUT...will the GOP nominate him, and will the Christian right support him--possibly not? No matter how strong and effective a leader he is, he must first get nominated, and then be elected. Neither one is a "gimme" right now. If I had to choose a leader to fight terrorism--Rudy would be a good one.
--Mitt Romney, who is arguably the best qualified all around candidate--smart, successful, articulate, a proven leader in 3 different settings (Chairman of the 2002 SLC Olympics, Founder of Bain Capital and Massachusetts Gov.), and he is "Presidential" in bearing. His problems: he is a Mormon (why do people fear this more than Obama's Muslim and Black Methodist religious roots??), and he has been a nationally 3rd ranked candidate for a long time now (BUT he is the polls leader in the early primary states of Iowa & NH). If America could get over John Kennedy's Catholic faith, can it get over Mitt Romney's Mormon faith? And Mitt is a family man, still with his first wife! If I had to choose a leader to lead the US to a brighter and better future, Mitt would be a good one.
--Fred Thompson, who is the "celebrity candidate" and an articulate, a former Senator and high level lawyer, and a very engaging speaker. He is also Presidential in bearing, but has far less leadership experience than either of the other two. Since America doesn't vote with its head, it votes with its heart and emotions, Fred may be a strong candidate, and is at least as qualified or more qualified than the three Democratic candidates. The question with Fred is how passionate and committed he is to getting (first) nominated and (second) elected. His divorce seems to be less of an issue than Rudy's two! If I had to choose a candidate that could clearly win a TV face-off with Hillary and Barack, Fred would be the guy.
--John McCain needs to gracefully pull back and become the "elder statesman" of the Senate whether it is a Republican or (more likely) a Democratic majority. McCain is the antidote to mistakes like Harry Reid. He is a fine man, a great American, but his age and position in the race are working strongly against him being the candidate that emerges victorious.
The Democrats have a 2, 3, or 4 way possibility. Obama is catching Hillary. This proves you don't need content or leadership experience to run for President--you just need to be smart, smooth and quick on your mental feet. Governing, I fear, requires a very different skill set. Hillary is still Hillary--love her or hate her... and then there is the "pretty Pony" John Edwards and the Democratic counterpoint to Newt Gingrich..."policy Wonk", quasi-intellectual and "almost the next President" Al Gore.
Anyone who doesn't see the strength and advantage of the GOP slate of prospects has not done enough homework. Please do some homework and feel free to offer your feedback.
I have a whole pile of other, serious things to rant about, but sometimes, it's better to stop and smell the roses and smile (or laugh out loud). So, check this out.
HOW ABOUT A LITTLE HUMOR?
Life is so serious, how about a list of words that might make you grin...or grimace. The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are this year's winners. Read them carefully. Each is an artificial word with only one letter altered to form a real word. Some are terrifically innovative.
Some are cute, others are downright hilarious.
1. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
2. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
3. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people, that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The Bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
4. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.
5. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
6. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
7. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
8. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.
9. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
10. Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
11. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
12. Glibido: All talk and no action.
13. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
14. Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
15. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
16. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.
And, the pick of the lot...
17. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an asshole.
After that one, there is nothing left to say but, "enjoy the start of summer :-))."
Best, John
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