#439 I Forget

#439 I Forget

So, Panama Jack, Republican candidate for President of the United States of America can't remember a few things about his real estate. Cut the guy some slack. When you get to be that age, there's so much stuff in your head you can't always remember the minor details. That's experience! So it gets a little crowded up top.

It happens to all of us. We get busy. We accumulate data and sometimes information, and it all gets kind of jumbled. It's okay as long as you can remember the combination to the nuclear football. After all, you want to be launching those missiles against some real aggressor country, like, say, Finland and not some non-entity like, say, Russia.

As long as you remember that we never met a conflict we couldn't settle with an armed invasion. As long as you remember that digging for oil is what this country needs. As long as you remember that abortion is murder, as long as you remember what you said about an issue yesterday -- or at least don't say the opposite today, we the voters don't care whether you can remember how many houses you own, where they are, what they cost, whether the taxes on them are paid and who -- if anyone -- is living in them.

Give the guy a break. He has a lot on his mind.

Do you remember how many houses you own? Do you remember your phone number? Do you remember whether you brushed your teeth this morning? Do you remember what you had for breakfast?

Give the guy a break.

Of course saying in public that he didn't remember how many houses he owned is kind of embarrassing. But he should have anticipated the question. It's the kind of thing that's become important in this political campaign. And he could have -- and should have -- taken steps to prepare. Like taking the key ring out of his pocket and counting the keys.

It's a good thing they didn't ask him "what color socks are you wearing?" That would have required serious research. And just suppose he did the research and discovered one was black and the other brown or argyle?

Poor Panama Jack. He's getting it from all sides. He says silly things and then says silly opposite things. The conservatives think he's too liberal, the liberals think he's too conservative. And here we, the media, go asking him the tough questions while he battles for his political life and all he wants to do is lead us.

We've had presidents who don't know what a grocery store price-scanner is. We've had presidents who get chased by killer rabbits. We've had presidents who spent their youth cheerleading and getting drunk. This mis-step is no biggie.

By the way, Jack, have you found the number yet?





Shrapnel

--GM was trying to sell its medium duty truck division to Navistar. The sale fell through. Navistar doesn't want 'em any more than you do.

--American Airlines has started to offer in-sky Internet service. It's not free, do you think? Gives new meaning to the phrase "Mile High Club."

--Only in California. Homeless? No problem, just park your SUV in one of the designated homeless spaces, and live there until you get it together.

I'm Wes Richards. My opinions are my own, but you're welcome to them.(R)
(C)WJR 2008