Marital tension

It is not news to me that my better half has a soft spot for scoundrels. We're about to start the sixth season of The Shield, and suffice it to say, one of us swings Vic and the other swings Dutch.

But The Shield is fiction. And while some might argue that presidential history is also fiction, that doesn't keep me from being a little concerned that I am married to a man whose favorite president is Andrew Jackson.



Sure, he was an undeniable romantic. He had a horse named Sam Patch, seen above in a low-res image. He was also an unapologetic racist, responsible in no small part for the demise of North America's native population.

John just likes him because he was so ornery. This is a man, after all, who left the White House on this wistful note: "After eight years as President I have only two regrets: that I have not shot Henry Clay or hanged John C. Calhoun."

So, who are we backing in the current political fracas? We are undecided, but I know someone who would prefer the mouldering remains of Andrew Jackson to any candidate with a pulse, and he's sitting next to me on the sofa.