President Wood

As Liam and I were on our way home from soccer pictures tonight (for the Undefeated GREEN SPARTANS!),

I was listening to NPR. Now, I don't usually listen to NPR during such short driving distances, and usually not when the kids are in the car (lest I bore them to death), but our country is in the middle of a financial crisis, and I wanted to hear what people were saying about it.

Well, the people who were talking about it on NPR were none other than Barack Obama and John McCain. You might've heard of them. Senator Obama said that this is the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression (ya think?) and Senator McCain warned us that our country's economic fundamentals are at risk, AT RISK! (duh.)

But, before you stop reading this post, I'm not about to get upon a financial or political soap box. Heaven forbid. No, No, No....this is an amusing Liam story, so keep reading.

So, I'm listening to NPR, and Liam hears these guys talking (he was paying attention?) and he says to me, "Mom, what is Rock Obama, this Rock Obama ...what is he versing this guy, this guy talking right now, I forget his name, what's his name?"

Me: "John McCain"

Liam: "Yeah, him. What are they versing each other for?"

Me: "Well, these two guys are in a competition to see who gets to be the next ..."

Liam interrupts: "President." (how does my 7 year old know this? he must be a GENIUS!)

Me: "Yes, they are competing against each other to see who gets to be the next President of the United States of America." (I can't have him thinking they're running for the presidency of student council or of the Sara Palin fan club or something ridiculous like that. This is important.)

Me: "So, Liam, do you know who the current President of the United States is?"

Liam: "Yes, Yes I do. His name's....his name's....uhhh....President WOOD!"

Me: "Hmmm, no. Not quite, honey."

Liam (interrupting me again): "No, No, No. That's not it. That's not it. It's...it's..." (as we're driving down a dirt road with rows and rows of trees and fields and woods and shrubs and BUSHES next to us and I'm dying to give him a clue, but I've just gotta see if he can come up with this on his own, so I let him think a minute.) "Presidennnnnt (slight pause) BUSH. President Bush!"

Me: "Yep, that's right. George W. Bush." (Wow, I'm thinking to myself, this kid knows alot more than I give him credit for!)

Liam: "Yep, George Washington Bush." (OK, so he doesn't know everything.)

Then I started thinking, hmm, what DOES the W. stand for? William? I know it's not Washington. Or maybe it IS Washington, but I really don't think so.

Walker.

Thank God for Google.