Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Re: Must Haves   [Lisa Schiffren]

Jonah, That puppy/monitor cleaner is so cute that I am rethinking the holiday gift plan. My kids want a dog very much. I want a dog. I just don't want another permanent custodial responsibility. However, after recently listening to Mark Levin on the subject, (on WABC) I think I might be ready to go for it. On the other hand, the NYC pooper scooper laws are a real deterrent. Still — the youngest child is 8. If not now, when? (Yes, this vacillation can go on endlessly....and has.)

On the more serious subject of the Rudy-Huckabee entente, with its likely effect of weakening Romney in Iowa and making Rudy's later state strategy workable, well great if it works. But, I just don't see the Rudy/Huck ticket, if that's the price. Yes, they have those somewhat complementary positions on social issues. And there is much data to the effect that the vice-presidential candidate is neither much of a hindrance nor help to a ticket. But these two are so far apart that it is possible that Huckabee's Evangelical voters would dismiss him as an opportunist/sell out for running with Giuliani. And all of those secular moderate ethnic/pro-defense blue state voters (in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, etc.) with whom Rudy is said to have a serious chance, will dismiss him out of distaste for putting the preacher on the ticket. That would be a perfect illustration of "too clever by half."

Since Huckabee's greatest achievment to date is his very impressive 100 lb. weight loss (an accomplishment I regard with utmost personal respect, as even a smaller permanent loss eludes me), maybe he could be given a post from which to exhort the nation to get in shape. I know it isn't in the constitution. But he needs a national level job to groom him for the future; he can't be trusted with taxes; he has less than no foreign policy experience; he is very inspiring on the subject (the same cannot be said about Bill Clinton, who does this sort of thing now), and the nation's children need to get more real exercise and stop eating junk food. Unlike whatever the global weather shift is about, the steadily increasing rate of childhood obesity in this country is something that society can change. And he's the perfect guy to lead the effort.

11/27 06:56 PMShare