A 6-Year-Old Launches Her Political Career

As I was driving my granddaughter Devon home from first grade on Friday, the subject turned to politics.

"Ada," she said, using the name she invented for me about as early as she could speak. "I would like to be president."

"You're not old enough," I replied.

"Do I have to be 10?" she asked.

"No, a little bit older."

I refrained from telling her that given the current political climate, she had to either be crazy or a closet member of the Tea Party to even consider running for president. I had to know which.

"Why do you want to be president?" I asked.

"So that I could tell people what to do," Devon replied.

Again, I had to be careful. I didn't want to crush her dream.

"I'm not sure it actually works that way," I told her. "What would you tell them?"

"The first thing I'd do is give everyone recess for the entire day," Devon said.

"Congress has already done that," I muttered under my breath. "Maybe you should run for the House of Representatives."

But this was Devon's show.

"What else would you do?" I asked.

"I would take naps."

"But who would run the country?"

"I would tell my assistants to do that," she said.

Clearly she's a George W. Bush Republican in the inner circle of a family of liberal Democrats. Still, I'll vote for her. She's too delicious to turn down.