Honey What's up with the Kids?
I can just hear Howard Dean's words, "You've got one hell of a sense of timing son." I suppose that politicians have approximately the same incidence of naughty youngsters as does the general population. I don't think anyone would argue that the naughty little ones are not spotlighted more aggressively when they do get caught.
In case you've had your head in the sand of late:
Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean said Friday that his 17-year-old son was cited in the burglary of a Vermont country club with four teenagers searching for liquor.
Dean was quoted as saying, "When you’re 17 years old, you get to make bad decisions, and this was one."
I won't pretend to claim that seventeen year-old [boys] do some pretty dumb things. The fact that these particular seventeen year-olds apparently were so-jonesing for alcohol that burglary seemed necessary says to me that are perhaps a few more issues here. The timing for this stunt is too similar to be a mere coincidence. [I note how thoughtful it was for MSNBC to hold over this story until today's candidacy announcement. I might have otherwise missed it since the burglary occurred Thursday night.]
Junior - Paul - had already planned on not attending Pop's announcement due to Paul's "overly private nature". This amateur psychologist instead observes an "acting out" episode due in part to Paul's growing hostility and alienation directed at his father's intended career moves and the implications it has for his father's continuing lack of attention for Paul.
You have to sympathize with the kid though. Howard's chosen profession is nothing I imagine if not time consuming.
Now I personally did I few things that might be construed as unwise in my day. I was able graduate from high school without having been arrested though. If he knows what's good for him, Howard will address this situation immediately. I will just get worse. If you think you're a private kinda guy now, Paul, just imagine life with pop pulling a potential gig at the Whitehouse.
I suspect, though, that being a good politician although not necessary precluding being a simultaneous "good parent", has none the less rather exclusive duties requiring both an over abundance of "free" time and a superhuman desire to utilize it to nurture the youngans.
My point to all of this is not meant to effectively air out the dirty laundry of this family's social interactions. Those kinds of dynamics, as I've said, are not exclusively the problems of the politico. My interest in this story was the manner in which Howard appeared to handle it. There was no hint at trying to minimize this incident. There was no mention (as if that were a possibility) of attempting to "sweep the burglary" under the carpet. "Don't give Paul any special treatment." Howard said.
This I find particularly refreshing that Howard puts responsibility for ones digressions entirely in the forefront - rather a different position - in light of how Bush tends to minimize the exploits of his own two little angels. Something to ponder.
I don't know if Paul just became one of his father's unwitting political pawns (I'd like to think not...).
3:43:01 PM 
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Welcome To The Club
