Leaving Politics Behind

I am being a slacker new blogger. I guess I have nothing to get really fired up about at the moment. I can comment on President Elect Obama’s Cabinet or his call for more stimulus, but until he actually takes the oath of office there really is only speculation and I’m quite simply not in the mood to speculate. Three things will happen. Things will get worse; things will stay the same; or things will get better. And until one of those three things happens I see no need to comment.

I will comment, however, on my current trip to the Land Down Under. I am currently in Australia and I love it here. It is very much like the United States so there is very little culture shock but the days are long and the weather is warm. What a perfect world. I have managed to get into some political discussions. In keeping with my belief that partisanship ends at the water’s edge, I have not said one negative word about Mr. Obama (I did have a few choice words about Mrs. Obama but that was to another American).

I did have a chance to meet Mick Veivers who was involved in Queensland politics. I think was pretty high up in the government but you would never know it from meeting him. He is such a nice man and I had a wonderful time talking with him. I told him I was a Republican and he affirmed that he was too. I met Mr. Veivers at the Jack Newton Celebrity Classic golf tournament. No, I am not a good golfer – I just enjoy losing ten or twelve balls while having some fun in the sun and getting a little exercise. Another politician at the event was Bob Hawke. Mr. Hawke is a former Prime Minister of the country of Australia. He led the Labor Party to victory in the general election in March 1983 and, in winning three successive elections, became Australia’s longest serving Labor Party Minister. I asked my golf partner if he liked Mr. Hawke as Prime Minister and his answer was he was ok but a bit of a George Bush. I said he must have been a great Prime Minister then.