Last thursday (which was May 5) I was able to see Bill Clinton at Bookpeople in Austin. I arrived at Bookpeople around 8:45 in the morning and was finally able to see Bubba at a little after 11:00. The line was ridiculously long. Bookpeople employees would escort groups of 50 up to the second floor where secret service agents made us empty our pockets and then they patted us down and wanded us. From there we went to the third floor, and there in a dimly lit room was Bill.
A smile never left his lips. Whether this was from happiness or just his usual public persona I can’t tell you.
About midpoint through my wait in line, I noticed a man in a long black trenchcoat and cowboy hat crossing the street and walking toward the line. He was smoking a very large black cigar and he looked as if he might have had Mr. Colt’s Peacemaker strapped to his waist. The theme from “The Good the Bad and the Ugly” began to play in my head. As he came closer he became more and more familiar. It was Kinky Friedman, and he was coming to work the line. Needless to say I got a bumpersticker and his autograph and a really crappy photo with my cell phone:
He’s running for Texas governor in 2006. I’ll probably vote for him…Why the hell not?
After I met Bill I went across the street to the new Whole Foods building. I got a sandwich made with fresh Italian Flatbread and really good chorizo. The new Whole Foods is awesome. It’s more of a tourist attraction than a grocery store. I sat and ate and watched the people protesting Bill across the street at Bookpeople. There were only four people, and one was under twelve, so it was kinda pathetic.
One did have a really catchy poster though. It said “Go home Beelzebubba…My president is Dubya!” I could appreciate the Paradise Lost reference. Another poster said “Why would anyone want to “buy” Clinton’s lies? PT Barnum knows!” I felt a little stupid because I didn’t get the PT Barnum reference. Of course, that man would rather overlook Georgie’s lies about Iraq, Haliburton, Jeff Gannon, the Presidental Daily Briefing that warned Bush about Osama, his military record, than overlook Clinton’s dumbass lies about getting a B.J. and playing at a little higgly-piggly with a cigar.
So, in hindsight maybe I’m glad I don’t get the same references as that man.