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.
You have been offered the opportunity to
"build" an ideal president of the United States as a composite of the
best characteristics of all the candidates in the field. What will you take
from each to construct your model president?
The charisma, freshness and good looks of Obama
The crusty credibility of Fred Thompson
The good common sense of Joe Biden
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.
What lame excuse would you use to get out of jail?
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.
Your honor, I am an agent of the FBCIAI, an organization
so top-secret that I cannot tell or even know what the initials stand for. I am
on a vital mission for our government and the President has requested that you
release me. The survival of humanity is at stake.
I am not as think as you drunk I am.
