Now that I'm rested and refreshed from vacation, let's class up the joint a little with some lighthearted political moments. First we have President "I am in charge" Obama:
Even as he employs carefully chosen curses and plans more trips to the Gulf, Mr. Obama is in many ways pushing back against the image of Johnson on that tarmac, bellowing his defiance. Obama's famous "whose ass to kick" quote widely cited as a sign of newfound edge was, in fact, part of a defense of his studious strategy: Assess the situation, put the best people on the job, and monitor them.
Next up, we have a candidate wanting the gubernator's job in California:
While she was the chief executive of EBay, Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman shoved a subordinate who later received a confidential six-figure settlement, according to a report published by the New York Times on Monday.
[. . .]
"In any high-pressure working environment, tensions can surface," Whitman said in a statement. "Young Mi and I had a professional disagreement which we put behind us. She and I continued to work together at EBay, where I valued her skilled counsel and thorough professionalism."
And, finally, there is the North Carolina congressman who got physical with a young man pointing a videocamera:
Rep. Bob Etheridge has apologized for the incident, captured on YouTube, where he grabs the inquisitive young man a repeatedly asks, "Who are you?"
[. . .]
Etheridge was apparently peeved by the question of whether he fully supports the Obama agenda.
Who says there's no passion in politics? So, which should we prefer, the chief executive who feigns anger in an attempt to look more like Capt. Kirk and less like Mr. Spock, the CEO pushed to the edge by subordinates' perceived incompetence, or the legislator who apparently forgot to take his Zoloft? Well, which one? I'm waiting. I can find you -- don't MAKE me come looking.
