Too Cute By Half

Hillary should really quit trying to be so cute. Unless she has the where-with-all to charter a private jet every time she wants to travel beyond the local bus route, the price she'll have to pay for excess baggage will bankrupt her.

Okay, she flew to Chicago and talked with Obama about the Secretary of State's job. Those supposedly in the know say it wasn't offered, merely discussed. Yet it is also said the ball is in her court as whether or not to accept.

I am constantly trying to find ways to change my opinion of Hillary and Bill, but they sure make it difficult. Before her name was mentioned as a serious consideration for the post, it had been suggested that Bill's foreign financial involvements could pose a problem for Hillary should she be representing the administration. Bill.

Now they are dragging their feet during the vetting process. Those financial involvements of Bill's must be laid out with 100% transparency or Obama would be foolish to put her in that position. Should that not happen and Obama chooses to turn elsewhere I can hear the wailing from the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pant Suit now! "He snubbed her for the Vice Presidency and now he's dangled this in front of her just to take it away. Sexist!" No. Bill.

This isn't the first time they've played cute with requested records. Remember during the primaries when they refused to release her papers from when she was First Lady? To the best of my recollection, they never did comply.

This is far more serious. The potential of public policy intertwining with fund raising efforts for Bill's Global Initiative could be disastrous. I'm beginning to think the Clinton's air of entitlement is dangerous to the well being of the nation, what's more Obama's presidency. They've a bond between themselves that is as mysterious as it is strong. I am beginning to doubt one could function without the other. The disturbing part, though, is they demand that everything be on their terms. They don't seem to grasp that Bill is no longer President. That had he been a more honorable one, Hillary might now be the President-elect. That she is not. Nor is she Vice President-elect. She is Senator Hillary Clinton, D, NY. Period.

I ask the women who are still her staunch supporters, what is it within her that prompts this self-destructive behavior? Is it Bill? Is it always going to be Bill?

If Hillary is ever going to live up to her potential, she needs to tell Bill to fold.

Bush League

As with a multitude of people out there, I have never had much good to say about George W. Bush nor his administration. Perhaps it's time.

I cannot remember a transition of Presidential power having been carried out with more grace than this one. Credit goes to both the President and his wife. I think a large part of it is due to breeding. There are certain segments of our society where manners and grace in behavior are taught young and are expected to be practiced throughout life. The Bush's exemplify this.

Barbara was the feisty daughter of the former President of McCall's Corporation, publishers of the enormously popular McCall's Magazine and Redbook. My generation should remember them well. She attended the best of schools including Smith, one of the "seven sisters" Ivy League schools for women. Had Sarah Palin attended Smith she would not be dropping her "g's".

George H.W., the son of a Senator, graduated from Yale before devoting his entire career to one of public service. George W. himself is a graduate of Yale with an MBA from Harvard. That he is prone to malapropism is a mystery, but even with a "gentleman's C", one must have ample gray matter to graduate from Yale and get an advanced degree from Harvard, regardless of your name.

Then there is Laura. A Texan through and through with charm that seems inborn. She's no slouch herself with a degree in Education from Southern Methodist and a Masters in Library Science from the University of Texas - Austin.

So much for their educational credentials. More to the point has been their decorum. Laura and George appear to have a deep love for one another. She has shown great grace and courage in "standing by her man". I doubt she anticipated such a difficult and long lasting undertaking eight years ago.

Barbara and H.W. have shown great restraint in keeping mum about W. We can speculate whether they are horrified, disappointed or just shaking their heads wondering what was the source for all that has happened. But quiet they've been no matter how uncomfortable.

I believe the Presidency is being passed on to a man who along with his wife will continue to honor the office of the Presidency as it should be. I do not anticipate any sexual rendezvous in the private office nor upon their departure the trashing of the White House and Air Force I.

Sometimes a silver spoon can trump astro turf in the back of a pick up. A stellar Presidency could well trump both.

Good Night, Ladies!

I'm in a lyrics mode these days but so many remind me of us. For instance, take these from the Music Man :

"Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little,
cheep cheep cheep, talk a lot, pick a little more"

Isn't it time we start getting over ourselves? Between the articles on the Huffington Post and the headlines on the news sites, we women have become more partisan than the partisan politicians we've been trying to unseat!

If Hillary is not chosen for Secretary of State there may be some very good reasons other than the fact she is Hillary. One is Bill's financial arrangements with those supporting his Global Initiative that could shadow her potential effectiveness; the other being the perceived effectiveness of a woman trying to deal with cultures that truly are sexist!

Now before you all get mad at me, I think she will take the job if offered and will be formidable. Not because she's a woman, but because she is able.

I'm reading where the feminists are up in arms over the possible choice to bring Lawrence Summers back to Treasury. Not because he isn't able but because he once made a statement that suggested, to put it simply, most women are not as scientifically nor mathematically inclined as most men. That may or may not be entirely true but there is in fact a predominance of men in those fields. It's not a good reason to keep him from Treasury.

I'm reading complaints that the Cabinet and staff is heavy with testosterone. Come on now. One thing Obama promised us is that he would look for the best people possible,regardless of Party, for those positions. If they happen to be men then he should choose men.

Women are doing just fine. Being a political appointee is not the end all of success. I would rather have a qualified man in place than a Sarah Palin because she is a woman any day.

Arm chair quarterbacking is easy. Actually getting out and qualifying for the team takes a lot of hard work. It's time we look in the mirror, doff the silly hat and drink and admit that most of us couldn't do it on a bet. Those who can, do. Those who can't, pick!

Religious Dictates Versus Critical Thinking

One thing I have never understood about organized religion is why, if it's teachings are for the glorification of it's God and His teachings, do they find it necessary to threaten it's members with eternal damnation for thinking for themselves.

When it comes to the blurring between church and state, it seems the thinking individual comes up the loser.

On one side there is the very vocal Christian Conservative movement that has made worshipping God seem like a secondary cause to trying to influence legislation. Trying to translate what they choose to believe into law that we would all have to follow. Dictating from the pulpit how individuals should think, even vote. The antithesis of what this country is about. Freedom of religion is also freedom from religion should one so choose.

Now, I'm not a student of the intricacies of the various religions but I know overkill when I see it. There is the categorization of "sins" by the Catholic church from venial (forgivable) to mortal (a complete separation from God leading to eternal damnation). There is confession and penance which usually involves praying the rosary.

Now let's have a look at critical thinking. By definition:

Part of Speech: n
Definition: the mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion

How can a person who chooses to think be faithful to his/her church? Take the example of the South Carolina priest who told his parishioners that if they voted for Obama they had taken a spiritual risk. This is what he said, "Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exists constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil..." and "...the unholy slaughter of children in this nation is the greatest threat to the peace and security of the United States and constitutes a clear and present danger to the common good."

Talk about having nothing to fear but fear itself! That's all there is. Fear. Are religions so insecure in their beliefs and so afraid themselves that their members may actually think, all they can do to keep them in line is to instill fear?

What I don't understand is how a thinking person can buy into something as blatantly symbolic as praying the rosary to exonerate sin. Does it, in the eyes of the church, exonerate a Catholic who practices birth control then receives communion? Or for that matter, one who voted for Obama for a multitude of reasons more important to that individual than the fact that Obama believes in a woman's right to choose?

I understand, full well, why I have opted to exercise my spiritual side by recognizing and appreciating everything that surrounds me is so because of a power greater than my ability to understand. I'm quite comfortable with my little place in the universe and all that may be beyond. I've thought it through.

Bill And Hill - A "Two For" Again?

I'm beginning to worry about myself. I think I may actually have morphed into a full fledged political junkie. I'm finding the post election intrigue absolutely fascinating.

The Washington Post , among many other sources, has reported that Hillary Clinton is being considered for Secretary of State. I doubt that she'd take it if offered because two women have already held the position, but the idea of it is rife with possibilities.

Especially if Bill should become the Special Envoy to the Mid East. Add to the mix Tony Blair who holds the same position for the European Union! What a power play.

Just think, Bill would be able to truthfully say he has the Secretary of State's ear. Hillary would be able to say she has the Special Envoy's ear. They both, of course would have the President's ear. And remember Tony and Bill got along famously before he went on to become Bush's "poodle"! Think of the "bad cop, good cop" scenarios that could play out! If this duo and Blair couldn't bring all those pesky factions into line, they could sure confuse the bejabbers out of them!

It could be economical too. They could share a plane! Ah, the Clintons. The world is their stage. I wonder how many curtain calls they have left!