|
Soon to be familiar faces? Gov. Rick Perry (TX) and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (KS) |
By SHARON K. GILBERT
February 23, 2008
IT’S A LAZY, cold, Saturday afternoon here in central Indiana, and Derek and I are passing the time (not with a little Solitaire) but with a game we love called ‘Search Engine Tag’.
Starting with an initial quest, we see how it connects with another, and that with the next, and so on — until we end up far afield from our original search — or are we really? Often times, we’re amazed at how this addictive avocation swirls into spirals of non-linear progress that ultimately returns us to that primordial first ‘Googly’ step.
The virtual tour requires few items: free time, a pot of coffee, a curious mind, and perhaps a pair of Ruby slippers — make mine moccasin-style.
And so it is that today’s stroll down this virtual yellow-brick road led me to begin asking myself who might be picked for the second seat in this year’s ultimate reality show, The Run for the Presidency. The main chairs will likely be filled by McCain and Obama (sorry, Hillary, but barring unforeseen events, you’re pretty much dead in the water — Simon Cowell would have tossed you back long ago). So what lucky ducks get to smile and wave as runners-up during this fall’s onslaught of sappy TV ads?
Naturally, this quest inevitably took me to the Bilderberg Group.
Ah! The good old BG!
For those who don’t know, this blue-blood, rarified-air bunch meets once a year to hash through geopolitics over sushi and Dom Perignon. Since 1954, the ‘Bilderbergers’ have set policy, launched careers, and generally frustrated the heck out of curious folks like myself. Attendees shun the press, and low-key arrivals (often sneaking through the back entrances of select hotels) offer very few photo ops.
We do, however, have some ‘smuggled’ lists from which to glean information. And it is to such lists, nominations and subsequent presidencies can be linked.
Bill Clinton attended in 1991, and he ran for president in 1993 (winning two terms as a result).
Gerald Ford attended in 1964 and again in 1966.
Hillary Clinton – 1997 (and possibly 2006), Dan Quayle in 1990, 1991 (you can’t win them all).
Other attendees: Al Gore, Colin Powell, Evan Bayh, John Corzine….the list goes on and on.
Two names stood out for me from last year’s list:
• Kathleen Sebelius, current governor of Kansas. Sebelius was tapped to give the Democratic ‘rebuttal’ to this year’s ‘State of the Union’. And Sebelius came out early with her endorsement of Barack Obama — linking his train to a ‘red state’ (Kansas).
• Rick Perry, current governor of Texas. Perry has been instrumental in allowing Cintra-Zachary to begin the process of constructing ‘the NAFTA Superhighway’. He came out early with his endorsement of John McCain.
Both Sebelius and Perry are relative unknowns to most voters. But then so were Bill Clinton and Al Gore in 1992.
Of course, John Edwards is keeping hairdressers on-call in case he’s given the nod (remember, he attended Bilderberg in 2004). And Mitt Romney would love to share the ticket with McCain (as would Huckabee despite his protests to the contrary). However, their names just don’t appear on attendee lists. Sorry, guys.
So that’s my prediction. Take it or leave it. We’ll see how well I fare in the coming weeks and months. For now, back to ‘Search Engine Tag’ and perhaps a nap. Gosh, I love Saturdays.
How about Mike Pence (R) Indiana?
Beg to differ on your presidential pick. Obama is gonna be ditched in favor of Hillary. However, good job on picking that low life Rick Perry for V.P. Nothing surprises me anymore.
Dave McGowan is betting that Hillary will win (mainly because for the last 28 years it’s either been a Bush or Clinton on the ticket, so the odds are in her favor).
If she doesn’t win the candidacy, then she will become Obama’s running mate. Unfortunately Obama is destined to meet an unsavory departure (too many allusions to Kennedy), and then Hillary will be the next president.
At least that’s what Dave thinks. I take no responsibility for the above comment. I’m just sayin’.