Tommy Thompson was the guest speaker this evening at an event for the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy in Des Moines. I went to check him out, thinking for sure that I would be able to find something about the guy to like. His speech was inspiring. He talked about how, if elected, he would send medical mission ships all over the world to help women and children in Third-world countries. He mentioned how inspiring this type of volunteer service is.
Afterwards, questions were allowed. I knew I was not in Kansas anymore when a young lady stood up and earnestly asked,"Do you think that drilling in ANWR national refuge is a good solution for our energy crisis?"
I was sure that this was a softball question, floated to Thompson so that he could vocalize his support for alternative fuels. But he said, "I've been to ANWR, and I think we should be drilling there. The spot they'll be drilling in is such a little spot, it won't hurt any of the caribou or anything like that." And then he said he also supported alternative fuels. I'm confused....Has he lost his mind?
I felt like such a wolf in sheep's clothing when I stood up to ask a question. I felt like a had a giant stamp on my head that said, "Demo Memo!" But I mustered my courage to ask, "How, if you're elected president, will you help to dispel the notion in the Muslim world that the Iraq war was is Christian vs. Muslim?" He didn't miss a beat. "You can't. It is Christian vs. Muslim." Whoa Bessie.
I am so happy to be a democrat. I silently reflected on my belief system on my way home and congratulated myself for being a sane, rational, thinking person.
By the way, Mr. Thompson was a cocksure and blustery man who seemed to have problems using words bigger than "great" and "nice" when describing his plans. Maybe that's why he and George W. Bush were so attracted to each other when they first met.
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