Judging, and Always Being Right

I drove my daughter over to school this morning because she had some unwieldy things to carry. I was watching TV, waiting for her, when an ad came on showing Obama saying that 'the surge' was not working, would not work, and then General Petraeus (how'd you like to be the guy that recently was appointed to take his place in Iraq?) saying that the surge was working, and they were getting the results they wanted. The voice over then said grimly that this was paid for by Vets for Peace (or something like that), and that everyone should call Obama's office and say nanny nanny boo boo, you were wrong, and so I'm not going to vote for you.

At first, I was mildly incensed, but then I thought that, though I did not share their conclusion, their premise was right -- he did say that, he was wrong. In fact, I remembered, he admitted later that he had been wrong, and that he was pleased, if surprised, by the results. So, I wondered, does that mean as a prominent politician, you have to be right on everything? On just the big things? Or do you learn quickly to only make unequivocal statements on the undeniable things - Apple Pie Is Good- (and even there, you have to be ready for the hey, our stuff is good, too! voices) -- and, for everything else, make guarded comments, or none at all? Because if you admit you were wrong, particularly, wrong about something major, well, then obviously you aren't trustworthy, let alone, worthy of being elected. Maybe, also, thats why politicians say as I said before, when, in fact, they said nothing of the sort.

On the way over, I mentioned to her that I'm going to one of two classes on the voting process, as part of being a judge at a local polling place. I told her that I thought I'd walk around in a black robe chanting 'here comes the judge', but I had reconsidered because most people under thirty wouldn't get it. Would you get it, I asked. She thought a minute, and said Yeah, thats like when I saw some of my friends walking down the hall, and I ran up right behind them and said Josh! And he turned around and said my name, and I said Josh!, and he said my name. We did that all the way down the hall. It was pretty funny. Yes, I said, staring off into some vision of decrepitude, thats exactly the same.

Here comes the judge!