"W" (2008)

Well, Gary Trudeau nailed it again...but I can't post it on here as it is copyrighted -  just the link for today's comic strip:

http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/index.html

So I received an email from MFA and it was one of those "forwards". Being a librarian implies a general enjoyment of spelunking, so, as usual, I checked it out. (It was false, not surprisingly.) But, while on Snopes, I came across an interesting article that had similar keywords. My curiosity aroused, I read "The Curse of Tecumseh." 

Snopes was unable to verify (duh) the actual existense of a curse, but they did their best to show the facts and let the reader decide. Here is the premise: every 20 years a president dies, either naturally or by assassination and the president must die in office. This affects presidents who are elected to office in a year ending with zero. Because of the every four year rule, the phenomenon occurrs every 20 years. The facts are these:

     1840- William Henry Harrison was elected and died of pneumonia one month later.

     1860- Abraham Lincoln first elected and was assassinated during his second term, in 1865.

     1880- James A. Garfield elected. Shot in July 1881, died that September.

     1900- William McKinley was re-elected. Shot in September 1901, died a week later.

     1920- Warren G. Harding elected. Died of either a heart attack or stroke in 1923.

     1940- Franklin D. Roosevelt elected to his third term. Dies during his fourth in 1945, of a cerebral hemmorage.

     1960- John F. Kennedy elected. Assassinated by Oswald in 1963.

Here's where it gets tricky. Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980. He did not die during his presidency, but there was an assassination attempt that almost killed him in 1981. Supposedly, Tecumseh, an Indian tribal leader was killed in battle in 1813 by troops led by William Henry Harrison. Two years prior, Tecumseh's troops were defeated at the Battle of Tippecanoe, also by Harrison's men. It is rumored that this was when he laid down the curse to begin with Harrison and continue indefinitely.

The article goes on to offer possible explanations for Reagan surviving, but it does leave open the theory that our current president would have to die in office. If he doesn't, most likely it is just a string of very unlikely coincidences, but if Bush dies between now and next January 20th (the day the next guy or gal is sworn in).....

I have trouble believing that the curse could be real. I wonder why it would only affect one in 5 presidencies. (The article chalks that up to astrology...which I really don't believe in). But the fact is that these men, elected in those years, did die while in office. Still, it is pretty interesting to note. And I thought it worth blogging about.

Joel Himelfarb writes that President GW’s twilight months left in Office is beginning to mirror Slick Willie’s twilight months in Office.

Both are guilty of attempting last minute diplomacy to establish a memorable legacy.

Slick failed with North Korea and Palestinian terrorists.

GW is attempting to do the same thing while apparently leaving the problem of a nuclear Iran to the next President as Slick left Osama bin Laden for GW.

JRH 4/1/08 (Hat tip Don Moore – Blind Conservatives)

Have you ever noticed how George Bush is indeed a feeble minded redneck?

Haha, I noticed this a long time ago, and hopefully everyone has.

He's destroying our country, and I'm counting down these last 9 months. He's pretty much the worst speaker I have ever heard. I have sat down and listened to this idiot talk, and attempt to make a good speech. But everything that comes out of his mouth is just plain dumb, and/or pointless/worthless. Like, for example this quote: "I hear there's rumors on the Internet that we're going to have a draft." 

Wow. What a moron. This is "his country". And he looks on the Internet about drafts? I mean...wtf.

Haha, I've never seen a bigger idiot!

[nicole]

Me for president, bitches.