I started January well enough. I spent New Year's Day putting about a ton of top soil into a new flower bed. The bed is about half planted with bulbs now (mostly tulips), and as spring comes we'll pick out some annuals to fill it up with.
But January turned out to be no bed of roses. And by the 3rd or 4th I'd contracted a computer virus that Norton didn't stop. In the process of getting rid of the virus I somehow messed up Windows. And for most of the month I was without my PC.
The PC itself was not the problem. Emails, lesson plans, personal records, student records, account user names and passwords for various and asundry web sites, three or four thousand personal photos I'd take over the years, and ten gigabytes of music - I was locked out of it all. I spent January starting from scratch with a laptop I have, reinventing the wheel, etc. It wasn't until the 20th that I finally found a techie who would return my calls. I got the PC back up and running a few days ago. I'm still trying to get it set back up the way it was.
Today I spent sixty bucks on three 8-gig Scandisk drives and I backed up everything important. I suppose I'll start doing that monthly.
But the computer wasn't my only problem. It seems like routines changed. Basketball season has required my wife to work late at school. I take her dinner and stay there with her. It seems like twice a week we end up leaving the house by 7:30am and getting home 14 or 15 hours later.
We've also developed the habit of going to Bluefield on Saturday to shop for snacks that can be sold at school. We take a calculator. The snacks have to have less than 200 mg of sodium, get less than 35% of their calories from sugar, be under 200 calories per serving, get less than 35% of their calories form fat, get lest than 10% of their calories from saturated fat, have less than half a gram of trans fat, and a meet a few other requirements I can't quite recall off the top of my head. So we spend a few hours most Saturdays do that - time I used to spend doing other stuff. That's okay, but I haven't adjusted yet.
There were other distractions. There was the night my dumb dog got free and chased a rabbit up into the woods. It was 9 or 10pm and six or eight degrees and I spent an hour outside calling her event though I was already sick. My dad spent a few days in the hospital (he's fine now) and my daughter brought her boyfriend up for a visit (I enjoyed seeing her). Somehow I didn't manage to finish everything this month.
Maybe February will be nicer to me...
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Rumors (and the Board of Supervisors)
A week or so ago, Bill Rasnick resigned from the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors. (Most states call that body the "County Commission.) The remaining four members of the BOS will have to appoint someone to fill his position until a special election can be held (in November) to fill out the final two years of Bill's term.
It took about two days for someone to ask me if it was true that I was going to be the new supervisor. They told me that, according to what they'd heard, I was asking to BOS to appoint me to the position. And they told me that they thought that was a good thing. I'd make a good supervisor, they said...
I was flattered. But it wasn't something I'd contemplated much. And the rumor (that I'd already approached the BOS and was lobbying for the position) simply isn't true.
In the time since then I've thought about the BOS job. There are really two positions being discussed. The first is the appointed position as Northern District Supervisor; whoever gets that will probably take office in late February or early March. The second is the elected position as Northern District Supervisor; in November, someone will get that position and serve just over two years on the BOS, from November, 2009 to January 2012. Of course, the person who gets the first appointed position could easily also get the second elected.
The last time that a vacancy came available on the BOS, Jimmy Durham was appointed to fill the position temporarily and Mike Hymes was later elected to fill the position. Hymes had submitted a resume to the board and asked to be appointed, but wasn't.
So what is the truth about me?
Tom Childress has expressed an interest in filling both the first and the second position, being appointed to the BOS in the near future and then being elected to continue in the position in November. Childress has served the Northern District's interest through the local Democratic office since the 1970's, I think (long before I was around), and done so admirably. At least one other person has expressed interest in the elected position in November. I don't know that his interest in the position has been made public, so I won't mention his name here. But he wants someone else to take the appointed position and warm that seat on the BOS until November. And former Northern District School Board member Spot Steele tried to unseat Rasnick for the Democratic nomination for Rasnick's position back last year. I would guess that he's interested in the appointment, but I don't know for sure.
At least two other names are in play. Tom Brewster agreed to consider warming a seat on the BOS for a couple of months. But Dr. Brewster is a member of Virginia's State Board of Education and works in the Pulaski County school system (I think). Ken Franklin's name has also been mentioned as a seat warmer, but I haven't heard him express interesting in the position himself.
And the truth about me is that I hadn't really considered the position when the rumors started. I've asked some questions about it and talked to one member of the BOS about time commitments involved.
I work as a teacher during the day and I come home and work as a writer at night. Taking the position would require me to rearrange my life some and make some sacrifices. I suppose that's true for anyone who enters the level of public service we're discussing. In March, at about the time someone will fill the appointed position, I'll start the final internship for a educational leadership program I've been working on for the past two years. The internships are demanding and time consuming - at a time when the BOS will wholeheartedly involved in the budget process.
On Saturday January 10th, I stood up at a meeting of the Northern District's Democratic Committee and said in public that I wasn't interesting in running for election to the position in November. I'm really not. It probably wouldn't be fair to Northern District residents for me to put my name forward for the appointed position; I know that my internship will distract me greatly BOS activities until at least mid-April. I'm not arrogant enough to think that I can do it better than the other people who want it.
I suppose that one day I may grow more political ambition. But for this year at least, I think the BOS will have to live without me.
Finally, a shout out to Rene. I hear she reads my blog...
It took about two days for someone to ask me if it was true that I was going to be the new supervisor. They told me that, according to what they'd heard, I was asking to BOS to appoint me to the position. And they told me that they thought that was a good thing. I'd make a good supervisor, they said...
I was flattered. But it wasn't something I'd contemplated much. And the rumor (that I'd already approached the BOS and was lobbying for the position) simply isn't true.
In the time since then I've thought about the BOS job. There are really two positions being discussed. The first is the appointed position as Northern District Supervisor; whoever gets that will probably take office in late February or early March. The second is the elected position as Northern District Supervisor; in November, someone will get that position and serve just over two years on the BOS, from November, 2009 to January 2012. Of course, the person who gets the first appointed position could easily also get the second elected.
The last time that a vacancy came available on the BOS, Jimmy Durham was appointed to fill the position temporarily and Mike Hymes was later elected to fill the position. Hymes had submitted a resume to the board and asked to be appointed, but wasn't.
So what is the truth about me?
Tom Childress has expressed an interest in filling both the first and the second position, being appointed to the BOS in the near future and then being elected to continue in the position in November. Childress has served the Northern District's interest through the local Democratic office since the 1970's, I think (long before I was around), and done so admirably. At least one other person has expressed interest in the elected position in November. I don't know that his interest in the position has been made public, so I won't mention his name here. But he wants someone else to take the appointed position and warm that seat on the BOS until November. And former Northern District School Board member Spot Steele tried to unseat Rasnick for the Democratic nomination for Rasnick's position back last year. I would guess that he's interested in the appointment, but I don't know for sure.
At least two other names are in play. Tom Brewster agreed to consider warming a seat on the BOS for a couple of months. But Dr. Brewster is a member of Virginia's State Board of Education and works in the Pulaski County school system (I think). Ken Franklin's name has also been mentioned as a seat warmer, but I haven't heard him express interesting in the position himself.
And the truth about me is that I hadn't really considered the position when the rumors started. I've asked some questions about it and talked to one member of the BOS about time commitments involved.
I work as a teacher during the day and I come home and work as a writer at night. Taking the position would require me to rearrange my life some and make some sacrifices. I suppose that's true for anyone who enters the level of public service we're discussing. In March, at about the time someone will fill the appointed position, I'll start the final internship for a educational leadership program I've been working on for the past two years. The internships are demanding and time consuming - at a time when the BOS will wholeheartedly involved in the budget process.
On Saturday January 10th, I stood up at a meeting of the Northern District's Democratic Committee and said in public that I wasn't interesting in running for election to the position in November. I'm really not. It probably wouldn't be fair to Northern District residents for me to put my name forward for the appointed position; I know that my internship will distract me greatly BOS activities until at least mid-April. I'm not arrogant enough to think that I can do it better than the other people who want it.
I suppose that one day I may grow more political ambition. But for this year at least, I think the BOS will have to live without me.
Finally, a shout out to Rene. I hear she reads my blog...
Monday, January 12, 2009
Ending My Sentences with Prepositions
A note on my title at the Green Cup: I received a comment shortly after publishing this. No body; just a subject line that read "With whom do you reflect?" I went and found my copy of The Little, Brown Handbook. It's a Fifth Edition and I thnk they're up to the 10th now, so it's a little out of date. But I suspect the rules have become even more relaxed. It says that "Prepositions usually come before their objects. But in speech and informal writing the preposition sometimes comes after its object." It gives the example "What do you want to see him about?" This is a blog - a writing genre characterized in part by its informal tone. As a linguist, I doubt that a single native English speaker would miss my meaning in the title simply because of the placement of the preposition. I agree with with Tina Blue on the matter: Some of the "rules" of English grammar that you learned in school were devised by pedants who believed that English was inferior to Latin and should be improved by forcing it onto the Procrustean bed of Latin grammar. Finally, although I'm certified to teach high school English, I consider "whom" to be an archaic form that gets used now in only the most formal settings. I can't recall the last time I used it myself...
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Lady Vol's Biggest Comeback Ever
I got up this morning to the alarm clock (even though it's Saturday). Cheryl and I went to the breakfast buffet at Big Daddy's down the road. There weren't many people there, so we got to talk with Punky & Becky (the owners) a lot while we ate (which was nice). When we came back I set to work moving dirt into my flower bed (which is why I sat the alarm).
The dog played in the creek while I worked. She killed at least one mole for us (our yard is full of moles for some reason. She dug holes and got absolutely filthy. So When I finished with the tulip bed I brought her inside and bathed her (twice). I took a shower. Then I sat down in the recliner in the living room and contemplated a nap. The dog jumped up on me and decided to take a nap of her own.
I never got my nap. I figured out that Tennessee Women's basketball was on. They were playing Rutgers. It was depressing at first. It was almost half time and Tennessee was down 13-33 at the half. No Lady Vol's team has ever been that far behind at half time in the history of the universe. No Lady Vol's team has ever been held to just 13 points in the first half since God created time. So (like I said), it was depressing.
The Lady Vol's came out in the second half on a role and scored 11 unanswered points. I won't pretend to be a sports writer and try to give play-by-play or anything, but it was an exciting comeback. And with about two minutes left, Pat Summitt's Volunteers took the lead. They won 55-51.
Then I got out of the chair and cooked supper.
The dog played in the creek while I worked. She killed at least one mole for us (our yard is full of moles for some reason. She dug holes and got absolutely filthy. So When I finished with the tulip bed I brought her inside and bathed her (twice). I took a shower. Then I sat down in the recliner in the living room and contemplated a nap. The dog jumped up on me and decided to take a nap of her own.
I never got my nap. I figured out that Tennessee Women's basketball was on. They were playing Rutgers. It was depressing at first. It was almost half time and Tennessee was down 13-33 at the half. No Lady Vol's team has ever been that far behind at half time in the history of the universe. No Lady Vol's team has ever been held to just 13 points in the first half since God created time. So (like I said), it was depressing.
The Lady Vol's came out in the second half on a role and scored 11 unanswered points. I won't pretend to be a sports writer and try to give play-by-play or anything, but it was an exciting comeback. And with about two minutes left, Pat Summitt's Volunteers took the lead. They won 55-51.
Then I got out of the chair and cooked supper.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Year's 2009
Cheryl and I spent NYE at a small party at a friend's house. We arrived there about 7pm and left at 12:30ish. Four other people were there - three of them teachers. Food, a card game (I don't know the name of it), and a small amount of alcohol. I brought a bottle of Pinot Grigio. The host made strawberry daquiries.
We got home about 1pm. It was 2:30 before I went to sleep. So I slept until 9:30 or so. After breakfast I worked outside on the new flower bed. It runs along the edge of the house - about 40 ft by 2.5 feet. I put landscape timbers down a couple of days ago and today I broke the ground, sprinkled it with a broad leaf weed killer, and started the process of filling it with fifty bags of topsoil (40 pounds each). I got about 600 pounds in before the sun went down behind the hill next to our house. That was about 2:30pm. It got much colder so i called it a day. This weekend I'll finish mocing the dirt and put the bulbs in.
I listened to my new iPod while I worked. Some music and a couple of Philosophy podcasts. Frederick Nietzsche's view of art. A discussion of Kants efforts to reconcile rationalism and empiricism. Recent developments in neuroscience and how the impact philosophy.
We got home about 1pm. It was 2:30 before I went to sleep. So I slept until 9:30 or so. After breakfast I worked outside on the new flower bed. It runs along the edge of the house - about 40 ft by 2.5 feet. I put landscape timbers down a couple of days ago and today I broke the ground, sprinkled it with a broad leaf weed killer, and started the process of filling it with fifty bags of topsoil (40 pounds each). I got about 600 pounds in before the sun went down behind the hill next to our house. That was about 2:30pm. It got much colder so i called it a day. This weekend I'll finish mocing the dirt and put the bulbs in.
I listened to my new iPod while I worked. Some music and a couple of Philosophy podcasts. Frederick Nietzsche's view of art. A discussion of Kants efforts to reconcile rationalism and empiricism. Recent developments in neuroscience and how the impact philosophy.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Recent Blog Posts Elsewhere...
Some recent blog posts I've written:
- Venture Capitalists Karen Gordon Mills Nominated to Head the Small Business Administration December 20 at Bizinformer.
- Are You LinkedIn? Why...? December 26 at Bizinformer
- Do You Make a Good Impression on People? December 20 at BizPlanHacks.
- What is a Bootstrapper? December 24 at BootStrapMe
- Fear Not! In a Recession, Fear Will Kill Your Business... December 25 at BootStrapMe
- Wine Without Clothes: The Naked Wine Show December 18 at Celebrate Wine
- Job Hunters Flock to Emirates December 26 at Global Mobility Report
- Tasmania: It's Summer Down Under... December 20 at Hidden Travel Gems
- Empty Beaches in Goa December 27 at Hidden Travel Gems
- China's BYD Auto Puts a Plug-in Hybrid on the Market There December 20 at IfEnergy
- Biofuels May be Obsolete Before We Can Make Enough to Matter - Part I December 26 at IfEnergy
- Mexican Christmas Eve Dish: Bacalao a la Vizcaina December 20 at Latina Viva
- Creative Destruction? This Recessions is Partly the Change of an Era... December 26 at TJ's Weblog
- 2009: The year of the Travel Deal? December 22 at FlyAway Weblog
- Protecting Your Online Privacy December 26 at The Search Engine Weblog
- Looking for a Raise in 2009? Don't Hold Your Breath... December 22 at Personal Finance Weblog
- What's Your Name (Really)? December 20 at The Social Networking Weblog
- Twitter Relaunches People Search December 26 at The Social Networking Weblog
- Google Blogger: And Now... Imports and Exports! December 20 at The Web 2.0 Weblog
- Amazon.com Big Christmas Retail Winner December 27 at The Web 2.0 Weblog
- Strike at Hong Kong's Airport Delays Flights December 27 at Wandalust
Christmas in Redhouse
Redhouse, Md. – I’m here at my father-in-law’s house in Garrett County, Maryland. It is unseasonably warm today – 65F at the moment, which is more common for May or June.
We did a little shopping yesterday in Oakland, Md. Not exactly a big city. We started at the Dollar General where we picked up some half-price Christmas cards for next year. Then we headed on over to Wal-Mart for a few groceries and some wrapping paper that was on sale. We stopped in the down town area at a little jewelry store and Cheryl’s dad ordered a 50th anniversary gift for his brother. And we finished off our trip at a second grocery store where I bought a couple of pieces of chicken (and two turkey drum sticks) that we’re going to shake and bake tonight for dinner.
Last night we had the family’s traditional Christmas dinner. Those present: Cheryl’s dad (Benny), brother Steve and his wife, Janet, along with their three daughters (Emily, Sarah, and Jennifer), complete with Sarah’s boyfriend Spencer and Jennifer’s boyfriend Brody; and sister Nancy, with her husband, Mitch, and their daughter Holly (who spends a week with us each summer). So that 13 people. We had pork loin, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole, yeast roles, apple sauce, green beans, corn, cheese, deer sausage, a pumpkin roll, fudge, and some cheese cake.
Most of my time during the days has been spent blogging through a dial-up connection. We played Phase 10 last night for a couple of hours. Tonight we’re discussing a trip to the high school to watch a girl’s basketball tournament.
Cheryl and I drive home tomorrow…
We did a little shopping yesterday in Oakland, Md. Not exactly a big city. We started at the Dollar General where we picked up some half-price Christmas cards for next year. Then we headed on over to Wal-Mart for a few groceries and some wrapping paper that was on sale. We stopped in the down town area at a little jewelry store and Cheryl’s dad ordered a 50th anniversary gift for his brother. And we finished off our trip at a second grocery store where I bought a couple of pieces of chicken (and two turkey drum sticks) that we’re going to shake and bake tonight for dinner.
Last night we had the family’s traditional Christmas dinner. Those present: Cheryl’s dad (Benny), brother Steve and his wife, Janet, along with their three daughters (Emily, Sarah, and Jennifer), complete with Sarah’s boyfriend Spencer and Jennifer’s boyfriend Brody; and sister Nancy, with her husband, Mitch, and their daughter Holly (who spends a week with us each summer). So that 13 people. We had pork loin, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole, yeast roles, apple sauce, green beans, corn, cheese, deer sausage, a pumpkin roll, fudge, and some cheese cake.
Most of my time during the days has been spent blogging through a dial-up connection. We played Phase 10 last night for a couple of hours. Tonight we’re discussing a trip to the high school to watch a girl’s basketball tournament.
Cheryl and I drive home tomorrow…
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Things I Did Today...
Wrapped Christmas presents (between midnight and 1am last night).
Watched West Wing while I wrapped presents. (I own all seven seasons on DVD.)
Slept.
Got up at 7:30 to turn the heat back up. Went back to bed.
Got up at 8:30 and made coffee. Put the dog out.
Cooked breakfast. Scrambled eggs with chorizo sausage and cheddar cheese, grits, and a biscuit with butter and honey. Biscuits and sausage gravy fro Cheryl. We also sliced up a store-bought tomato.
Read my email and my Google Reader.
Got dressed for church. Wore my Blue suit.
Some time online. Facebook (I friended my cousin Lee), tetras, news.
Went to Church. The Pastor preached a good message on the Old Testament prophesies that Jesus fulfilled.
Went to town: CVS and Food Lion.
Ate at Big Daddy's restaurant. usually I cook Sunday dinner, but Big Daddy's is closing for the rest of the year, so we thoguht we'd go see them...
Watched a little football: Titans and Steelers.
Took a nap.
Drank some coffee and read my Google Reader.
Got some boxes ready to mail.
Took the battery out of the riding lawnmower.
Lit the propane heater in the basement (it's supposed to be near zero tonight).
Spent a little more time in Facebook.
Cleaned up the kitchen.
And now... having a glass of Burgundy while I watch the second have of SNF.
Watched West Wing while I wrapped presents. (I own all seven seasons on DVD.)
Slept.
Got up at 7:30 to turn the heat back up. Went back to bed.
Got up at 8:30 and made coffee. Put the dog out.
Cooked breakfast. Scrambled eggs with chorizo sausage and cheddar cheese, grits, and a biscuit with butter and honey. Biscuits and sausage gravy fro Cheryl. We also sliced up a store-bought tomato.
Read my email and my Google Reader.
Got dressed for church. Wore my Blue suit.
Some time online. Facebook (I friended my cousin Lee), tetras, news.
Went to Church. The Pastor preached a good message on the Old Testament prophesies that Jesus fulfilled.
Went to town: CVS and Food Lion.
Ate at Big Daddy's restaurant. usually I cook Sunday dinner, but Big Daddy's is closing for the rest of the year, so we thoguht we'd go see them...
Watched a little football: Titans and Steelers.
Took a nap.
Drank some coffee and read my Google Reader.
Got some boxes ready to mail.
Took the battery out of the riding lawnmower.
Lit the propane heater in the basement (it's supposed to be near zero tonight).
Spent a little more time in Facebook.
Cleaned up the kitchen.
And now... having a glass of Burgundy while I watch the second have of SNF.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Recent Blog Posts Elsewhere...
Some recent blog posts I've written...
- Are We Going to Start Paying the Crowd? at the Web 2.0 blog on December 08
- $8 Billion Evaporates from Harvard's Endowment at the Universities Weblog on December 10
- Using a Loan Calculator at the Personal Finance weblog on December 12
- Cleaning Up Amsterdam... at the Flyaway weblog on December 09
- Terrorism's Shadow on Venture Capital in India at TJ's weblog on December 09
- Jordan's Eco-Tourism at Hidden Travel Gems on December 10
- Zimbabwe: Immigration in the Time of Cholera at the Global Mobility Report on December 12, 2008
- Are You Successful...? at Boot Strap Me on December 12
- How to Keep Your Job: Personal Branding at Biz Informer on December 12
- Is "Incremental Change" an Oxymoron? at Biz Plan Hacks on December 12
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Obama: the High Standard He Must Meet...
President-elect Barack Obama faces an incredible task when he assumes office. That task is to live up to the gold standard of presidential behavior and character so clearly and deeply etched into the public mind by example before most of us had ever heard of Obama.
The example I speak of is not Bill Clinton. I think we can all agree that regardless of the effectiveness of his policies or his legacy in leaving America with an actual budget surplus, President Clinton's personal integrity and demeanor did not set a gold standard for the Presidency.
Nor am I referring to the 35th President, John F. Kennedy, or even to the 16th President, Abraham Lincoln (from whom President-elect Obama seems to draw some of his inspiration).
No, the example I speak of is both clearer and more recent. I speak of President Josiah Bartlet, the liberal icon and slave to principal and integrity who served as President through seven season of the NBC television series West Wing.
You think I jest... Perhaps you even mock me.
I was a faithful fan of West Wing. I own all seven season on DVD. For four years I went around telling people that Bartlet was the only President I knew for sure we had. After all, George W. Bush was elected to office by the Supreme Court by a vote of 7-2 on December 12, 2000.
Played by Martin Sheen, President Bartlet was the epitome of so many good things. He represented a world in which education was valued, not viewed as snobbish or elitist. President Bartlet clung to actual principles. I'd like to think there are still leaders in the world who seek political office for reasons that don't primarily involve self-interest. Call me naïve; I'd like to trust my President and I'd like to resist the trend toward cynicism. I don't want to believe that the only way to make it to the top in politics is to be crooked. I'd prefer to think that God still sometimes anointed leaders for us who act in good faith.
Can Obama stand in the shadow of Jed Bartlet? Will he lead with integrity? Will he carry Bartlet's burden for the poor? Can he marry principle to pragmatism? Can he be the commander-in-chief that Bartlet was?
I think it is ironic that one of the minor themes of the West Wing revolved around President Bartlet's humanity, his frailties. The West Wing's President struggled with smoking. Will Barack Obama ever light one up in the National Cathedral and put it out in God's face the way that Bartlet is presented as doing in the Two Cathedrals episode...?
Okay, I know it was fiction. But art imitates life, and vice versa. For now, my hope is that Barack Obama will fill Jed Bartlet's shoes. Perhaps later I'll lower my expectations and hope simply that he can fill the shoes of President Kennedy...
The example I speak of is not Bill Clinton. I think we can all agree that regardless of the effectiveness of his policies or his legacy in leaving America with an actual budget surplus, President Clinton's personal integrity and demeanor did not set a gold standard for the Presidency.
Nor am I referring to the 35th President, John F. Kennedy, or even to the 16th President, Abraham Lincoln (from whom President-elect Obama seems to draw some of his inspiration).
No, the example I speak of is both clearer and more recent. I speak of President Josiah Bartlet, the liberal icon and slave to principal and integrity who served as President through seven season of the NBC television series West Wing.
You think I jest... Perhaps you even mock me.
I was a faithful fan of West Wing. I own all seven season on DVD. For four years I went around telling people that Bartlet was the only President I knew for sure we had. After all, George W. Bush was elected to office by the Supreme Court by a vote of 7-2 on December 12, 2000.
Played by Martin Sheen, President Bartlet was the epitome of so many good things. He represented a world in which education was valued, not viewed as snobbish or elitist. President Bartlet clung to actual principles. I'd like to think there are still leaders in the world who seek political office for reasons that don't primarily involve self-interest. Call me naïve; I'd like to trust my President and I'd like to resist the trend toward cynicism. I don't want to believe that the only way to make it to the top in politics is to be crooked. I'd prefer to think that God still sometimes anointed leaders for us who act in good faith.
Can Obama stand in the shadow of Jed Bartlet? Will he lead with integrity? Will he carry Bartlet's burden for the poor? Can he marry principle to pragmatism? Can he be the commander-in-chief that Bartlet was?
I think it is ironic that one of the minor themes of the West Wing revolved around President Bartlet's humanity, his frailties. The West Wing's President struggled with smoking. Will Barack Obama ever light one up in the National Cathedral and put it out in God's face the way that Bartlet is presented as doing in the Two Cathedrals episode...?
Okay, I know it was fiction. But art imitates life, and vice versa. For now, my hope is that Barack Obama will fill Jed Bartlet's shoes. Perhaps later I'll lower my expectations and hope simply that he can fill the shoes of President Kennedy...
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