Mood: blue
Topic: "A Dog Named Bo" (5)
In 1981 Jimmy Stewart, while a guest on the "Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," read a poem he had written as a heartfelt goodbye to an old friend. Twenty-eight years later, one can find "A Dog Named Bo" on YouTube, if there is an insurmountable need to shed a few tears for old times and friends, not forgotten. Recognizing the fact that another dog, with the same name, now resides in the White House, Frodo found it necessary to remind himself just how important some milestones become, and how quickly time passes.
Frodo doesn't really know what to think about Chinese Water Torture dogs, mainly because he had never even heard the name of the breed until speculation began to mount aout the identity of the newest inhabitant of the Obama household at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The dog, given as a gift by the Kennedys of Massachusetts Bay Colony, looks a lot like a poodle with a perm, or dare we say, an Afro. As explained frequently, allergies required that something non-threatening to sinus cavities was a prerequisite for consideration of a Presidential appointment, much less Senate confirmation. Given all the hoopla, Frodo is confident that the candidate was fully vetted, and all taxes paid.
Excitement, as opposed to good judgment, accompanied the introduction of Bo to the White House Press Corps. Before Helen Thomas could interject a single biting query, the candidate decided to head in another direction, dragging the athletic Mrs. Obama as if she were a chew toy tethered to a tennis ball. The "Dog Whisperer" was, in all likelihood, being dialed by the Secret Service for an immediate consultation before the evening news cut to commercial. What happened next is something that made Frodo think of that poem by Jimmy Stewart.
The President took the leash, and the two of them, man and dog, took off running, together, and they were laughing all the way. Although one wore leather shoes, it was an anointment of equals that caused Frodo to realize that this promise kept was a virgin act. This was Barack Obama's first dog.
Bo will sleep in the bed of little girls. He will sit patiently by the front door, waiting for the girls to get home from school. He will play tug and hide-and-go-seek endlessly with them. He will pursue them all around the White House lawn, and even track in mud if summer showers chase them inside. All of that will be true, but it will be by the side of the President that he will walk when they are alone.
There is a tie that binds man and dog. It is something that the President will not expect, but it will happen, as sure as rabbits will arise from the trails at Camp David. One day, when it is least expected, it will be just the two of them, and words will no longer be necessary. They will see it in each others' eyes, and they will laugh together just as they did when first they ran upon the White House lawn.
Republicans don't have dogs. They prefer reptiles.