Three's a Crowd

Hold onto something:

ORLANDO, Fla. - Could there be a third President Bush? The current chief said Wednesday that younger brother Jeb would make a great one, too, and has asked him about making a run. The first President Bush likes the idea as well.

A great one too? That would imply that the second one has been great.

His own father says no one believes him when he says he's not interested in running at some point. Former President Bush told CNN's "Larry King Live" last year that he would like Jeb to run one day and that the son would be "awfully good" as president.

Go figure, his own father thinks he would be awfully good. Well, he's half right.

Jeb Bush has dealt with a lot of high-profile issues including hurricanes, immigration and sprawling development in one of the most important political states.

I wonder how he feels about flies...

HONOLULU — Twelve species of rare flies known for their elaborate courtship displays and found only in the Hawaiian Islands are now protected under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the protected status for the highly valued picture-wing flies Tuesday.

Meanwhile...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - According to a new study from teachers' union the National Education Association, half of new U.S. teachers are likely to quit within the first five years because of poor working conditions and low salaries. "We must face the fact that although our current teachers are the most educated and most experienced ever, there are still too many teachers leaving the profession too early, not enough people becoming teachers and not enough diversity in the profession," said NEA President Reg Weaver in a statement.

Gee, it's a shame that teachers aren't as important as flies to our federal government. At least then, maybe they could earn a better wage and encourage the good ones to stick around. Oh well, as long as the flies are happy...

But at least there's some good news...

WASHINGTON - Scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs will be able to vie for a grand prize of $10 million, and smaller prizes reaching millions of dollars, under House-passed legislation to encourage research into hydrogen as an alternative fuel. He said the prize would not take away funds from any federal hydrogen programs, including the $1.7 billion hydrogen research program that President Bush first detailed in 2003.

So, we're spending $10 million on something that Iceland has been doing for at least a decade. Nice. How's that $1.7 billion they allocated in 2003 doing so far? Can you direct me to the nearest hydrogen filling station? Sometimes, throwing money at a problem isn't the best answer. Sometimes, there are people in other lands who have answers that, while they may seem strange to us Americans, provide viable solutions to problems.

I think the money would be better spent figuring out a way to keep salt from dropping off my soft pretzel - since the hydrogen technology exists, and the salt-pretzel technology does not.

Jeb Bush, we turn our lonely eyes to you. Woo-woo-woo.