Another Little Anecdote

When I was graduating from Law at Adelaide, we were addressed by the Senator the Hon Amanda Vanstone. She was then the Federal Education Minister, accused by the left of "Americanizing", and cutting the guts out of University Education. She's since become the Immigration Minister responsible for locking up Unlawful Non-Citizens - incluing women and children) in camps in the desert (yes, that's what we do, until they can prove they are genuine refugees or be deported - friend of mine went to Ireland and told them that was our policy - and they were shocked that it was firstly, popular, and secondly in part responsible for the re-election of the Howard government in 2001 - we put up these posters with Howard saying "WE decide who comes to this country, and the circumstances in which they come!" - to rousing applause, I might add!).

Anyway, I've met her, and she has a heart of gold under this tough exterior the hard-line tough talking - (Vanstone bagging a LLL feminist "there's only room for one blonde in your party" - so the LLL Senators give a resounding "boo" - the response? "Not that thre's a problem with that, or else my colleage would not have had her hair so badly dyed that colour!!", or, when a male Senator called her fat - "I'd rather have a fat arse than shit for brains, Mr comb-over!" - he never insulted her again!). This was in Parliament, mind! I know most US Senators are too pompous to speak like that! She's also famous for spinnaker-sized Versace outfits! Returning to my anecdote, the best part of her speech was:

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”

Now that's Teddy Roosevelt!