Last weekend, I was in Washington DC to accept the Kennedy Center Honors, and I noticed that the kiss between me and the “soon to be former” President Bush created quite a stir. The Today Show even proclaimed that it was a sign of the apocalypse. The timing is ironic. After eight years of President Clinton and on the cusp of at least four years of President Obama, I get selected to receive this prestigious award…during the Bush Administration. I have never met George W. Bush, but for the past eight years I have been blogging about him and his administration on my web site. I have relayed my frustration at the direction he has taken our country in no uncertain terms. So it was just as surprising to me as it apparently was to the press that upon meeting President Bush and extending my hand to him, he said to me, “Aw c’mon, gimme a hug and a kiss,” and then he proceeded to embrace me. I must say, I found him very warm and completely disarming…even though I think he was kissing me hello as I was kissing him goodbye…

During the White House ceremony, the President described each honorees attributes. After he listed mine, he added, “She’s also been known to speak her mind,” to which the audience first laughed and then applauded. I genuinely thought he was very funny and very gracious.

During the Kennedy Center Honors, President Bush gave me his signature wink (which he must have passed on to Sarah Palin) and mouthed, “We showed ‘em.” I guess in some small way, he and I proved that we could agree to disagree, and, for that weekend, art transcended politics.

November 5th…what a day… a new day….finally Dr. King’s words ring true that one day we will live in a nation where people “will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” After 2 stolen elections, this time, in this election over 57 million Americans made their voices heard. I am so proud of our country today…miraculously overnight we have regained the respect of the world. From England to Africa, people are celebrating Barack Obama’s victory…proof that he is the first truly global President. Last night, Americans took this wonderful country back from the party and the leaders that have led us astray over the past eight years. So I thank each and every one of you for standing in line for hours to vote. Americans have regained their optimism and renewed their sense of hope ...and now we all look to a brighter tomorrow. Unlike most of the public, the pundits and the politicians, President-elect Barack Obama rejected the idea of an America comprised of blue states versus red states…and last night he proved to each and every one of us that we truly are the United States of America. 

John McCain has declared from swing state to swing state, "I am a Teddy Roosevelt Republican…” Does McCain realize that President Roosevelt advocated for progressive taxation…just like Senator Obama.