Republidiction

Mitt Romney in his concession speech last night said something like we face increased competition from "other countries like Asia and India." I was driving or I would have made a note to get it all right. I promise you the last five words are exactly as he said them.

Do Republicans have to go out of their way to find people who are so inept on their feet? When I mentioned the statement to my son this morning, his response was "potato." Well said.

Robert Heinlein said "intelligence is not a crime, but most people treat it as at least a misdemeanor."

In general, and I think this has been born out by real research I have read, the Democrats mount smarter and better educated national candidates than the Republicans do. You have to wonder how George III could have gotten into Yale and Harvard Business School without legacy protection. Isn't it amazing when people who are so against affirmative action are the beneficiaries of affirmative action for rich people?

The last Republican candidate I might have been interested in dining with was Herbert Hoover. He and his wife both graduated from the geology department at Stanford University and, according to a recent Final Jeopardy question, spoke Chinese to each other when they wanted to have a private conversation in the White House. Hoover got hit with the full blame for the Depression (most likely the fault of the two prior Republican administrations), but his record prior to the presidency (and, frankly, after the presidency) show a record of public service and compassion much more progressive than any subsequent Republican. (I suspect I would have liked Teddy Roosevelt as well.)

I have had dinner at the Lou Henry Hoover House at Stanford University. The wife of then-president Richard Lyman invited graduate student wives up for a Chinese cooking lesson and tour when I was married to a graduate student there. Mrs. Hoover designed the house and, after her death, President Hoover deeded it to the University where it serves as the President's house. It's a beautiful building with a fabulous view of the Bay area. On a clear night such as the one when I was there, you can see all the way to the city of San Francisco.

Back to the election. Rudy Giuliani dropped out. Hooray. No friend to the Constitution there. Did anyone not notice how badly he was panned by the New York Times the other day? We're still looking at the possibility that Mike Huckabee could wind up as a co-runner. Do we need the possibility of such an unchristian minister in the White House? I've got a real fear of anyone who thinks the Constitution needs to be rewritten to reflect a narrow religious view. That's terrorism to me. And isn't Huckabee one of those Republicans who doesn't believe in evolution?

I'm sorry John Edwards dropped out before tomorrow night's debate and next week's primaries. I still haven't decided on a candidate for next week. I just resent having fewer of them around.