Moments that matter

Armed man demands cash, cigarettes.
Gets cash, waits for cigarettes.
Accidentally shoots self in groin.

Are there moments that really matter in Presidential campaigns? I know I sometimes make too much of too little, but there are moments that matter to me. These are just moments, not monumental statements or items of obvious importance. For example, when Mitt Romney claimed he had been a hunter all his life. This was a blatant lie and made me aware that he was the kind of person who would obviously say anything to attain his goal. When he then followed that with "we should double Guantanamo," I knew he would literally say anything. I simply cannot trust a person who lies so glibly and stupidly and is exposed so easily. I was not at all moved by Hillary Clinton's tearful moment. I merely assumed she was very tired (which I'm certain she was). I was moved, however, when Hillary resonded, "It hurts my feelings," when told people liked Obama better than her. Her response was immediate and I felt it was completely genuine. It made me think better of her. Now Obama has provided a moment that I believe he is going to regret. When he offered Reagan as an example of one of the great Presidents who had changed the country I immediately had to question his judgment. Saint Ronnie, in my opinion, was an absolutely terrible President. Edwards is quite right on this: Reagan opposed the unions, ignored Aids until it became epidemic, neglected the middle class and the poor, turned the insane out into the streets, tried to ruin the environment, and on. I simply have to hold this against Obama, and I am not at all happy to learn that Hillary apparently also thinks highly of Reagan. This, to me, is almost unforgivable. I would like to think they both meant simply that he did actually change things (although for the worse) and in that sense only he was okay (but I don't think this is what they meant). Then we have McCain's moment when he allowed as to having troops in Iraq for a hundred years would be okay with him. Well, it's not okay with me. I think it is absolutely terrible and only confirms my belief about McCain that either he is slightly demented in his old age or he is an unregenerate warmongering imperialist. When Giuliani said there was absolutely no connection between American foreign policy and what was happening in the Middle East he ceased to exist as a serious person and exposed himself as an utter and complete fool. Of course there is Huckabee's statement to the effect that we need to amend the Constitution to bring it in line with the word of God. What on earth could anything thinking person do with a statement that idiotic? Of course he had already dismissed himself as a serious candidate when he disallowed evolution. Thompson demonstrated his ignorance by proclaining that when he walked through a gun store he felt like he was in paradise. I'm not opposed to gun ownership but what a ridiculous thing to have said. Edwards, as far as I know, has not had such an obviously absurd moment. However, if he says he's the son of a mill hand one more time I think I might throw up. He seems to have a very impoverished stump speech that he should try to work on. Anyway, I don't know if these moments mean anything to anyone else, but they do to me. It's like when someone says something to you in anger and you know you will never be able to forgive it.

My wife is an absolutely super cook and I'm certain we eat as well or better than anyone in Idaho. This is partly because we can get truly great food here, chemical free beef, pork, lamb, and chicken. Organic vegetables, fruit and berries, wheat and other grains, wild mushrooms and such. She is also very much into the slow food and organic food movements and won't even consider eating most commercially prepared foods as she is convinced they are terribly bad for you. As devil's advocate I needle her with questions like: if such foods are so bad for you how do you explain that Americans are living much longer lives than they did previously. They also seem to be healthier longer. So how come? She never answers. She just thinks I am stupid. I believe her. But I still wonder about it.

LKBIQ:
"I am the inferior of any man whose rights I trample underfoot. Men are not superior by reason of the accidents of race or color. They are superior who have the best heart -- the best brain."
Robert G. Ingersoll