Asked and Answered on AnswerBag.Com
June 16, 2007
I've been having a little fun today and answered a truckload of questions on Answerbag. Here are three that I had fun with:
What is the glue that sticks together a broken heart?
It is the glue of experience and compassion, of giving and receiving love. It is the glue of loving when love is not returned, of laughter, tears, and time. It is the glue of renewed purpose and passion for life itself. it is the glue of a dream and a mission. it is the grace of God and the friendship of good people. The glue that heals is a composite of all these things, but it is strong and flexible.
The charisma, freshness and good looks of Obama
Wesley Clark's understanding of the military
Mitt Romney's business talents and understanding
The feisty courage of McCain
Howard Dean's outbursts - I liked that about him
The independence of Ron Paul
John Edwards' accent, likability, and wife
Dodd's intellect
Brownback's views on a couple of issues, especially pro-life
Giuliani's administrative skills
Gore's environmentalism
Ralph Nader's irrational perseverance and tenacity, with a touch of sarcasm and sassiness
Jerry Brown (who has neither chance nor interest) because he is not impressed by power
Clinton's campaign strategy and political savvy
Huckabee's integrity
Mike Bloomburg's ability to make and manage money
Gilmore's home state - The Mother of Presidents has been a little barren.
Kucinich for peace and freedom
Reagan's humor and compassion (something from the past)
Carter's understanding of world affairs and appreciation of the complexity of foreign policy (also from the past)
George Bush's aborted dream of utilizing faith based institutions to partner with communities for community development
George H.W. Bush's gracious spirit
Bill Clinton's speaking ability
LBJ's bear hug and humor
Nixon's diplomatic abilities
Truman's honesty and no-nonsense approach
Kennedy's ability to assemble the best people for his team
What is left?
Vulnerability - the ability to admit that you have changed your mind when presented with better facts and that is OK, that you have made some mistakes, that your record is not spotless, that you are human, that you may be wrong, that you have been wrong, that you can laugh at yourself, and that some special interest groups are really making fools of themselves even though you respect their humanity and right to petition their government.
Also missing quite often - respect for the opinions of others and a deep distrust of partisan politics.
Put all of that together with great leadership abilities and the ability to win an election and shazzzam, you've got a great president.
Remember, however, that most great presidents were rather unlikely candidates.
Having sat through many court hearings as an observer, it has become my conviction that no excuse works. The best one seems to be, "I did it; I was wrong; How can i make this right?
If that doesn't work, try these:
The house was on fire when I arrived. I set another fire as a backfire in the hopes of saving the house.
The tree was moving toward my car at a rapid rate of speed.
Your honor, I was drunk, I had no idea I was behind the wheel of the car. if I had known, I would have never driven down the street.
What?!?! I have $100,000 in my account? Where did it come from? Is it mine? Can I spend it?
It wasn't me. It was my evil clone. You'd better catch him before he does some real damages. He has all my fantasies and none of my self-control. I can help if you will release me.