Classic Presidential Story

I've been following this story since the end of January, waiting for the result. Vermont appears to be the only state that President George W. Bush has not visited since he took office in 2001. At least that's what United Press International reports. I'm thinking the good people of Vermont may be holding a grudge about that.

It seems that the City Councils in Brattleboro and Marlboro - both in Vermont - put measures on their respective ballots recently, asking that President Bush and VP Dick Cheney be indicted for "crimes against the Constitution" and want them both arrested should either cross the Vermont border and actually set foot in the state.

And oh, both measures actually passed last week.

And you thought I was kidding.

+++

A CLASSIC TRUE PRESIDENTIAL STORY

When Harry Truman was U.S. President, he once addressed the Washington Garden Club and kept referring to the prudential application of "good manure" to a flower bed.

Some of the upper class society ladies later complained to First Lady Margaret Truman, "Bess, can't you get the President to just say 'fertilizer'?"

The First Lady politely replied, "Good Heavens, it took me twenty-five years to get him to say 'manure'!"

[as told in JokeMaster]

+++

WORD for YOUR WEEK: Everyone probably knows someone who is, theoretically, in charge of things but is being told what to do by someone else. There's actually a name for that other person. "Eminence grise." It's a French phrase that literally means "gray eminence." Eminence, of course, means power or authority. It stems from the time of Cardinal Richelieu (of Three Musketeer fame), who was known as the "Eminence Rouge" (Red Eminence) due to his fondness for wearing red habits. His secretary, Francois Leclerk du Tremblay, was his confidant and often conducted negotiations and other business on the Cardinal's behalf. He always wore gray habits and so became known as the "Eminence Grise."

+++

This blog is available via email each weekday. Get your own subscription for free simply by clicking here.