I love Bill Clinton
November 21, 2005I think the Dooleys and I should be the model for modern political discourse. The Dooleys are diehard Republicans, Peggy even having worked for Tommy Thompson for a spell when he was Wisconsin governor. I, of course, think the Democrats are a more compassionate right wing party but yearn for a true socialist alternative in the United States. Yet despite this divide, we can discuss politics and eat our fish fries with out a single harsh word or thrown chunk of cod.
The Dooleys were even kind enough to take me to Katie’s Diner where President Bill Clinton and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl at lunch back in 1996. I was one of the many millions who were charmed and inspired by Clinton (I even drove down to Hope, Arkansas with my parents’ dog Britty a few weeks after the 1996 election.) And I am also one of a smaller group who wasn’t completely disappointed by his White House passions. (Yes, he lied, but to protect his family, and I believe a President should have a fuller understanding of human temptations. I would respect George W. Bush a lot more if he had admitted to his cocaine use and told the nation that he knew first-hand why this is such a corrosive drug.)
When Clinton came to Milwaukee, the secret service chose Katie’s for its authenticity and its security-friendly location. Lots of space for a helicopter to land in case an evacuation was necessary, mirrored windows so snipers couldn’t see where Clinton was sitting, and on a ridge above industrial Milwaukee for perfect surveillance. Everyone at Katie’s loved Bill and even if the Dooleys grimaced every time I said I hoped the Man From Hope would become First Man in 2008, they were good sports. We got to sit at Clinton’s table and Mom Dooley got to sit where Bill sat, complete with her Milwaukee special of a Bloody Caesar with a beer chaser.
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