Bigfork Eagle editorial

Conradisms

Here is a current events pop quiz. Who said, "I kind of like being on the same platform as Sen. (Conrad) Burns, because he makes me sound like Shakespeare."? Give up? The answer is the President of the United States.

President Bush also said that when Burns spoke to farmers in Billings, the senator was "talking their language."

"They didn't need a dictionary or a Roget's Thesaurus to figure out what he was saying," Bush said. "He's the kind of person the people of Montana need here."

And Burns' reply? "It always helps to have the president in your corner. He's the leader of this nation." Now that is supreme power of observation.

Now that the political chess board has been set up and the pieces are moving, let those of us who call the shots anticipate the outcome. Look ahead. Integrity and intelligence should be quite high on the list of candidate qualifications. It would be comforting if our politicians yielded a mightier mental sword than us serfs.

Another quote quiz for you, "This Abramoff guy is a bad guy. I hope he goes to jail and we never see him again. I wish he'd never been born, to be right honest with you." Who said it? Yes, it was Conrad Burns. It was also Conrad Burns who said it was a "Hell of a challenge," to work with African Americans in Washington. During a 1999 speech to Montana constituents about U.S. dependence on foreign oil, Burns referred to Arabs as "ragheads." He later apologized for both euphemisms.

"I'm here and they're not," Burns has said of his political opponents. "I've got the seniority and they don't. And I'm in the majority and they're not." With the Abramoff money deal looming over him and a reputation for obtuseness, that may not last long.