Stan Geiger

Steve McQueen for President!

Yeah, I know. McQueen's dead. But even so, I bet if he were on a presidential ballot he would get more votes than McCain, Clinton and Obama combined.

A recent New York Times poll showed that 81 percent of respondents said the country is on the wrong path. In addition, when pollsters asked people if they thought a particular candidate would make things better if elected none of the big three hit the 20 percent mark.

Pathetic, don't you think? Few, it seems, believe any of three people---one of whom will ultimately become our president for the next four years---has anything to offer. Well, nobody but the wealthy, anyway. Of people labeled "rich," 53 percent named McCain as their guy. The country can go to hell in a hand basket, the rich folks say, just don't take my Reaganomics tax treatment away.

In one of the magnificent scenes from the magnificent movie 'The Magnificent Seven,' Steve McQueen's character made an observation about the situation in which the seven had found themselves. He said he was reminded of an ol' boy that fell off the roof of a 10-story building. As the guy passed each floor on the way down, McQueen's character said, people heard the fellow say, "So far so good. So far so good."

What an excellent metaphor for the state of our nation today.

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