Superstitious Presidents

I really try to not make this a political blog, but since today's times are hopelessly intertwined with politics in one way or another, the topic comes up.  It's no secret that I'm an Obama supporter, but I also do think that McCain is generally a good guy and I wouldn't run off to Canada if he gets elected.

However, there is something about McCain that has gotten a little bit of press (though not a lot) that really does bother me.

John McCain is superstitious.
Really superstitious.

It was first noticed in his 2000 campaign.   It has continued on to this year. 

Here are some highlights:

* He thinks it's bad luck to take a salt shaker from somebody's hand.

* He won't throw a hat on a bed, because then someone in his family will die.

* In his pockets he carries a lucky feather, a lucky compass, a lucky penny, a lucky nickel, a lucky quarter, and a laminated 4-leaf clover.

* He won't pick up a coin if it is tails up.  This is why his pockets above don't have a lucky dime - when he found a dime laying on the stage of a debate in the Reagan Presidential library, he bent over for a closer look. It was tails up. So he left it alone.

(McCain is of Irish descent.  According to lore, the Irish have always had a thing about coins - If a coin is heads up, it's lucky.  If it is tails up, the poor should get it. I wonder if the poor get the bad luck, too?)

McCain's superstitions are spreading. Starting in one of his stops in Kansas City, his staffers began knocking on wood along with McCain.  His top advisor refuses to shave until the election is over.

And to top it all off, his official campaign headquarters are on the 13th floor of a highrise in Arlington.  Of course, 13 is a bad number, so McCain had the building change floor 13 to floor M.  For McCain.  Even though M is the 13th letter of the alphabet.

Yeah, this stuff is funny.  But what worries me is how much of his superstitions may influence his decisions as president.