Presidential Spare Change

According to the pundits and pollsters (and who else would you look to for meaningful answers?), the 2008 Presidential race is all about change. As in, who’s for change, who represents change and who can bring about change? Apparently, the candidate with the most pro-change qualifications and positions is a shoe-in for The White House.

Most voters say they want change and many claim to want fundamental change. Personally, I don’t think voters know what they mean when they express these opinions. After all, major change may affect some people negatively, many of them these very same supposedly change-loving folks.

I’m not saying I don’t want change, too. I’d like to see the next American president be someone who is comfortable with change. Not an agent of change, necessarily. Instead I want a president who doesn’t have to change all the time but, at the very least, is willing to change when necessary.

After eight years of "my way or the highway" governing from The Oval Office, it would be refreshing to have a president who carefully weighs all options before deciding. A president who asks not just his inner circle for advice but also a wide array of experts. And, most importantly, a president who can recognize when a decision has gone wrong and requires, you guessed it, a change.

In order to find such a president, I propose that all candidates be evaluated by this simple "change" test.

* Do you know how to change a tire?
* Have you ever changed a tire?
* Have you ever changed a tire for a stranger?
* Do you know what a change-up is?
* Do you know when to throw one?
* Can you actually throw a change-up?
* Do you give spare change to beggars?
* Are you ever conflicted about giving spare change to beggars?
* Have you ever needed spare change yourself?
* Do you like Bob Dylan’s song "The Times They Are A Changing"?
* Do you know the lyrics?
* Do you understand the lyrics?
* How often do you change your underwear?
* How about your socks and shirt?
* How about your stance on the issues?

If you can get honest and sincere answers from candidates on these simple questions, I think you’ll find it easy to choose the real change candidate.