Senator Ted Kennedy, (D) MA

Yes, I knew and, for a few years, frequently interviewed him. The picture to the left is how I see him in my mind.

I was always sort of caught between professional admiration of a man who really knew his stuff and how to work the political system in Washington to the advantage of his home state and his causes, and the other concerns about some things in his background that made him seem a little tawdry at times. We won't discuss those further here.

Instead, we'll discuss what I knew of him personally. He was unfailingly kind and gracious whenever I interviewed him. In spite of seeing me waiting, as if I was some sort of Washington political paparazzi, outside a hospital when his wife was ill. In spite of knowing that all of us were in Hyannisport or Martha's Vineyard when his nephew's plane went down. In spite of... all of it... he was kind.

I remember asking for a "one-on-one" interview about a particularly spicy subject. His press aide, Joe said "The Senator will give you two minutes in the hallway after the availability. But the interview is on condition that you shoot him from his good side." I was listening through this without surprise. Of course the Senator would give me two minutes. Hadn't he always?

But when the aide said "shoot him from his good side," I recall my eyes (after rolling upward) slightly laughing as I said, "And which side would that be, Joe?"

He didn't answer.

The Senator came in that day. In case you weren't aware, in his later years, he routinely seemed a bit disheveled. His suits were a little tight and his cotton shirts a bit rumpled. To add to the effect, this particular day, he appeared to have used a rusty old ax for his morning shave. He had sliced off thumbprint-sized bits of skin along his jawline on either side. I wondered which was the "good side" that he intended us to shoot? Both sides looked a little bloodied.

I need not have worried. We met him in the back hallway. The light turned on and the Senator turned to his desired angle. Left, I think, was his apparent preferred side. Naturally. It wouldn't be the Right.

Senator Ted Kennedy, dead but not soon forgotten, at 77.

A Tale of Two Spokesmodels

Gidget the Taco Bell dog is dead at age 15. Before we sound the celebrity mourning bells (is there a star on the Walk of Fame somewhere?), I'd be grateful if anyone can explain to me why the tiny dog with the big fake Mexican accent is less offensive than the Frito Bandito?

You remember Gidget, right? The tiny Chihuahua pooch who touted nachos and Gorditos with a flick of big eyes and oversize ears. She was the spokes-dog with the deep voice for Taco Bell from 1997 to 2000. She suffered a massive stroke earlier this week and was put down at 15, which in case you didn't know it is utterly ancient in spokes-doggy years.

My question is very simple: why is a dog with a heavy accent, a deep, gruff sounding voice and yen for a burrito so much more acceptable than a cartoon character who sings about stealing your chips?

The Frito Bandito was the cartoon spokesperson who hyped corn chips from 1967 to 1971, singing this song:

"Aye, yii, yii, yiiii, I am dee Frito Bandito. I like Frito's Corn Chips. I love them, I do. I want Frito's corn chips. I'll take them, from you."

The Frito Bandito was retired under pressure from the National Mexican-American Anti-Defamation Association and others, who didn't like the stereotype he represented. I don't quibble with the idea that perhaps the Bandito character was out of step with our "melting pot culture" in this country, but if so, why was Gidget not in the doghouse with the same group?

I may be mistaken, but this seems to me to be similar to my questions about rodents. To me, squirrels are merely rodents with fluffy tails.

And pigeons? They're flying rats. Research has shown that parasitic pigeons are a significant cause of "sick buildings" and lost productivity among American office workers.

Aren't Chihuahuas just dogs that Paris Hilton thinks make cute accessories? I think they might also be a good source of protein, but the larger breeds have more meat on them.

Carry on. I'm going to the kitchen for some Fritos. Blogging made me hungry.