Interesting observation about the campaigning

So it made the news recently that both Presidents Carter and Clinton were out stumping for Kerry. I thought that was pretty cool and the fact that Carter was out there to give him his support at the DNC is great. I was too young to really understand Jimmy Carter in the 1970s. He was the President with the weird family. A southern mama who lived in the White House with him and a hillbilly brother (Billy). But he's done so much in the last 25 years since he's left office. Healing a deeply wounded country (after Watergate and the resignation of Nixon) was a thankless task that no one relished. His resume as a peacemaker since his Presidency is more impressive than his record as President. I don't think he's actively on the road campaigning since his Carter Center is a non-partisan agency and, because they're often called to monitor the voting process in many emerging democracies, they can't get involved in partisan politics. I wasn't a huge fan of Clinton but that doesn't mean he isn't a popular ex-President and Kerry gets popualrity points when they're together.

Anyway, it occurs to me that I haven't seen any ex-Presidents campaigning for Bush. Granted, I don't think President Ford travels much any more due to his age (he's 91). But there's another Republican ex-President out there who I haven't heard a peep from in connection to the campaign. It just happens that that person is the current President's father. Is it just me, or is it a little odd that Sr. isn't out there stumping for Jr.? I mean, he wasn't the greatest President in history or anything but he was the President for four years and he was the Vice-President for one of the post popular Presidents in history, Ronald Reagan. It doesn't seem like it's health-related, as he looked fine when he spoke at President Reagan's funeral earlier this summer. (He's "only" 80) so I can't figure out why I haven't seen any coverage of this. Kinda seems odd to me. I did a Google search for "George Bush" and "campaigning for his son", which I thought would be a pretty common phrase in the news and found only 31 hits, none of which pertain to the 2004 election. They're all from the 2000 election. Sr. did speak at the RNC in Philly, I'll admit. But that's all I could find.

I'll let my readers draw their own conclusions, since you're both pretty bright folks.

Watch this space.

It may do tricks.

ABCs of DinosaurBob

Feel free to rip it off, as I did from Eric.

A - Age: 39
B - Best feature: Sense of humor, usually about the absurd.
C - Car I first owned: 1968 Mercury Cougar. 289 cubes under the hood with a Holley 1600 cfm double pumper 4bbl carb sitting an an Edelbrock Hi-Rise manifold and a performance cam and crank. Named Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang due to the occasional backfiring problem.
D - Depeche Mode song: Master and Servant or Blue Dress
E - Easiest person to talk to: Typically Riffalike or sandy.
F - Farthest from home that I've traveled: Which is further: Las Vegas, or Phoenix?
G - Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: Either.
H - (Real) hair color: Dark brown with increasing amounts of grey, especially in the beard.
I - Instruments: Trombone.
J - Jellybean flavor: Yellow and orange. If they’re Jelly Bellies, then the butter-flavored popcorn.
K - Kids: One stepson, Michael, 14.
L - Longest car ride ever: In one sitting: New Symrna Beach, FL; Overall: Phoenix, AZ.
M - Mum's name: Margaret Jane
N - Name that was almost given to me: Andrew Robert.
O - Oldest living relative: Aunt Elsie, 80-something.
P - Phobia[s]: Heights.
Q - Favorite Quote: "Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity." – General George S. Patton, Jr.
R - Reason to smile: New house. (Also reason to curl up into a fetal position in sheer terror)
S - Song I sang last: Englishman in New York, by Sting.
T - Time I wake up: 0540 during the week, whenever on weekends.
U - Unknown fact about me: I’m a neat-freak when it comes to eating.
V - Vegetable I hate: Asparagus. I have the gene that lets me smell it in urine. I like the taste but hate the smell.
W - Worst habit: Messy.
X - X-rays I've had: Chest, spine, teeth, foot. Probably more. Plus upper g.i, and a PET scan.
Y - Yummy food: Beef. Done rare to medium rare.
Z - Zodiac sign: Virgo.

Which Sci-Fi Character Are You?

New Canadian Band "Finger Eleven"

Go to this site and watch the videos. I heard the song, "One Thing" on 93.9 and was immediately struck by the quality of the singer's voice and the really good music. It definately stuck in my head. I've already watched the "One Thing" video about five times and watched the other video, for "Good Times". (The lyrics aren't really soul-stopping but they're good.)

I was really surprised to find out that they started out as a heavy metal band. That's pretty obvious in "Good Times" but totally played down in "One Thing".

Check 'em out!!

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday, dad. 88 years old today.

I miss you.

Love,
Your son,
Bob.

John Eisenhower, son of the President, will vote for...

John Kerry.

Makes you wonder, doesn't it? President Eisenhower was one of the most admired and respected Presidents of the Twentieth Century. He was a Republican who believed in responsible politics. Perhaps one of the last men who believed in the ideals of the Founding Fathers; that is, to do your job and step aside. He was not a politician going into office and when he was done, he returned Abeliene, KS and retired. He led our nation for eight years as President and before that led our troops for three more, culminating in the Allied victory in World War II.

You'd think his son, who served as an advisor in his Presidency and was a United States ambassador, would be excited about Dubya running for a second term.

Not so much.

Read his editorial here: John Eisenhower: Why I will vote for John Kerry for President.

President Eisenhower was such a capable leader and able to make politics work for the betterment of the country as opposed to the holder of the office that he was able to secure victories in Congress despite that body's Democratic majority for six of his eight years in office. John Eisenhower's comments on how the Republican Party used to be, back in the years of success, versus how it is today are right on the money and really just serve to make me all the more confident in my decision to vote Democratic this time after a history of voting Republican. Won't you join me?