Don't Start the Revolution Without Me! - Jesse Ventura [32]
Yet just about every move he’s made since that day has taken power away from the states. Cases in point: Twelve states have now passed laws to allow the medical use of marijuana. The federal government under Bush says no way, it won’t let the states do this. Two states have voted for dignity in death. If I’m living in Minnesota and terminally ill, I could have the option of moving to Oregon and fulfill my wishes not to prolong the agony. Again, the Bush administration says, oh no you can’t.
It’s a shame that Bush has turned into what he has. That deception about returning power to the states was only the first of many, the foremost being how his administration lied to the American people in justifying our disastrous invasion of Iraq. Leaving the Midland region that day, I couldn’t help thinking about our dependency on oil, whether it’s from the Middle East or the West Texas variety. We should be taking the billions being wasted in Iraq and putting all this money toward renewable energy sources that won’t destroy the planet. We should be doing everything we can to draw energy from the sun, the wind, and the water.
Bill Clinton was the other president I’d had a chance to become acquainted with. Actually, my first encounter was with Hillary, and we didn’t start out on a positive note. When I was running for governor, naturally the Republicans and Democrats began calling in some of their big guns to try to influence the voters. The last week of the campaign, Skip Humphrey brought Hillary to Minnesota. She was still First Lady at the time. Her first quote to the media was, “Okay, it’s time for the carnival sideshow to end and let’s get down to real politics.” I’d just climbed out of an RV in Rochester, Minnesota, when the press came charging over, thrusting about fifty microphones in my face and saying, “Did you hear that Hillary Clinton called your campaign nothing but a carnival sideshow act?”
I have respect for Hillary, but I felt insulted. And if somebody’s going to fire a round over my bow, they can expect to get one back. I deadpanned: “Well, it seems to me that, rather than being concerned about Minnesota politics, Mrs. Clinton should be more concerned about leaving Bill alone in the White House.” I added something about how, when the cat’s away, the mice are going to play.
Later on, meeting the President and Hillary, she had decided to let bygones be bygones. If she did remember my remarks, she didn’t make an issue of it.
TERRY: The first time we went to the White House, right after Jesse was elected, I was simply overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of where we were. I felt embarrassed, not worthy. Every time we came into a room, there was a guy who would announce your name out to everybody. I felt like walking with my purse in front of my face.
I have to hand it to the Clintons, and their ability to make a person feel at home. We went to a big formal dinner in the State Dining Room at the White House. It was awesome. The tables were decorated with china and crystal, the centerpieces filled with all kinds of flowers and surrounded by silver candlesticks and votive candles. They sat me down next to Dan Glickman, the secretary of agriculture, because I liked farming, and I thought that was very clever of them. He was really nice, and so was everybody at the table, because I was such a beginner. When the waiters came around with potatoes that were fried in the form of a statue, I knew I was in big trouble. “How do they get potatoes to do this?” I asked. Nobody else seemed to know either, which was comforting.
Jesse was seated about six tables