Wednesday 5 November 2008

Phew! Thank goodness for that; but what sort of puppy should Obama pick?

I woke early and the Today programme on my bedside radio seemed particularly gloomy. No cheering crowds, no excited presenters. Half asleep, I thought McCain had won, and dozed for half an hour worrying about the future for global environmental politics (not to mention everything else). What a relief when the headlines came on at 7am.

My favourite line from Obama's victory speech:
"Even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century." (my emphasis)

But that aside, the most pressing decision Obama now faces is what sort of dog he should get for his daughters!
"Sasha and Malia, I love you both more than you can imagine, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House."
Much as I love my English Springer Spaniel, and he's great with people (especially kids), I don't think that would be an appropriate choice. A hound of traditional US pedigree might be advisable, but a rescue mut might be more politically sensitive. Who'd have thought that picking a puppy could be such a political decision?

And then there's the question of a name…

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I vote for an Old English sheepdog. There's one who stars in my books, so I could send a copy over for Sasha and Malia (who'd doubtless love it?) and the next thing you know there's an invite to a White House Reception in the post.

Nothing wrong with having imagination and ulterior motives!

ms_well.words said...

Nice idea, Keith. Give it a whirl, why don't you? (Though I'm sure you won't be the only one.) At the least, if the US govt is anything like the UK, you might get a nice Thank You letter.

An Old English would need a lot of grooming, and I dare say would need a nursemaid following around with a vacuum cleaner everywhere it went. So I'm betting on a short-haired breed. Possibly a chocolate lab - always a good option for families.

But it would be nice if they could be a bit more imaginative, wouldn't it?