CANDIDATES ATTACK BUSH

The candidates meeting in Manchester, New Hampshire, on June 5 to debate did not have much good to say about George Bush. Three of them criticized his handling of the war. One of them criticized his diplomatic style, saying, “I would not send him to the U.N.”

One of them quoted Karl Rove, who had said to him, “Never darken the door of the White House.” This congressman would say the same to George Bush. Another, a former governor, said that the Bush administration had “lost credibility” after Katrina.

That’s the kind of thing you would pretty much expect from a bunch of Democrats, but these critics of the Bush administration were not Democrats. They were the men running for the Republican nomination for the presidency.

Tommy Thompson (who said he was the candidate, not the actor) was once a member of Bush’s cabinet. He was the one who criticized the president’s diplomatic style. John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Mike Huckabee all criticized Bush’s handling of the war. Romney said, "I think we were underprepared and underplanned for what came after we knocked down Saddam Hussein." Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo was the one who would tell Bush “Never darken the door of the White House.”

How can the Democrats criticize the president when the Republicans are already doing for them?

FRED THOMPSON ENTERS THE RACE

Former Tennessee senator and star of screen and television Fred Thompson has joined the dozens of other candidates for the presidency. A social conservative, Thompson will run as a Republican, hoping no doubt to emulate the success of that other former actor, Ronald Reagan.

We questioned our favorite candidate, Democrat Carl Perrin. How does he feel about running against a well-known actor, a man who already has a lot of political experience? As always, Perrin was upbeat in his response to this challenge. He pointed out that he had done quite a lot of acting himself, going all the way back to college, where he played the nasty brother-in-law in Beggar on Horseback. He has also played a doctor, a lawyer, Don Juan, and the gentleman caller in The Glass Menagerie.

“I never appeared on television or in the movies,” Perrin said, “but I have been on stage a lot, and a lot of people have seen me perform.” He said that a teacher is a performer, especially an English teacher who introduces his students to Shakespeare by reading the parts to them. Finally our actor-teacher-candidate offered to recite Hamlet’s “Oh, what a rogue and coward slave am I” soliloquy. Unfortunately, we had another appointment so could stay to hear Perrin recite.

MILLIONAIRE CANDIDATES

MILLIONAIRE CANDIDATES

Ten of the 40 or 50 candidates running for the presidency are millionaires. The rest are not exactly hurting for money—all except Dr. Carl Perrin, who is as poor as a church mouse. No wonder John Edwards can afford $400 for a haircut, while Perrin has to wait for his Social Security check to pay for his $8 cut. Not only is Edwards a millionaire, but he was paid $479,000 as a part-time consultant to a hedge fund. Wow! Perrin never got paid anything like that even working full time.

People for Perrin, an organization of all eleven of our candidate’s backers, is calling for a change in rules. Millionaires should not be allowed to run for high office. To be eligible to run, wealthy candidates should be compelled to share their money with candidates who have less money, like Perrin, for example. That would level the playing field and be fairer.

What do you think? Let us have your thoughts.