The Harry Truman Song

Some presidents turn out to be flops

And others, well

Public opinion they are gagin' 

But Harry Truman came out of nowhere

And rose to the occasion.

I remember him in the 'sixties

As a cranky old man

But I never had to second guess his stand.

The press at the time thought he was second rate

But now historians call him "near great"

Read his entry in any encyclopedia

And you'll see he wouldn't survive today's media.

And that, I claim

Is a shame.

Trump Endorses Newt! Not.

An astute co-worker of mine brought this article to my attention as another entry in the catalog of inaccurate headlines. "Gingrich to get nod from Trump" ran in yesterday's Seattle Times, p. A3.

As we all know, Trump a short time later actually endorsed fellow gazillionaire Willard Mitt Romney instead of Newt. So what happened?

The intrigue of this all is, I'm sure, much more complex than us peasants will ever know. But I am entertained by the fact the Gingrich campaign assumed they had the backing of the Bad Hair Birther Crazyman.

Running for public office does indeed require self-confidence. Don't get me wrong, I really admire politicians who can direct that energy toward the public good.

But Newt's Ego is so big and real it could be his running mate when he splits and runs third party after Willard spanks him hard in the Republican primaries. Newt and his Ego in 2012! I can see the buttons and bumper stickers now.

Meanwhile, I would think an endorsement from Trump is not exactly something an intelligent person would want to embrace.

What a great show! And right now it is happening in Nevada! I wonder who the Rat Pack would endorse?

Bezango: Rutherford B. Hayes Slept Here, Oct. 1880

Olympia Power & Light, sometime in October, 2010

It's a big deal whenever a President visits the Oly area. The last sitting President to come to these parts was Harry Truman, although Gerald Ford visited Lacey when he was Vice-President in 1974.

The only President to visit McCleary was Franklin Roosevelt. He drove slowly through here waving at citizens in an open car while passing through to visit the Coast. All the schoolchildren lined up to cheer, but anti-union Henry McCleary ordered his workers to stay away.

Phone photo 418

Oakville, Washington
Supposedly this rail car was once used by President Truman, now it's a place to eat and drink