My Brownie leader stole cookie money

Mea Culpas are obviously required here. I must confess at the age of seven my Brownie troup leader either lost or misappropriated funds from the Girl Scout cookie sale.

I only bring this up because it is obviously a black mark against Barack Obama that his church was audited by the Internal Revenue Service. Opps.

I must admit when asked to run for a low level political position I said no because of some of my more age appropriate behavior (and decade appropriate - if you can remember the 60's you didn't do them) in my college days. It had not occurred to me that the behavior of people I knew would be called into question as to my fitness to serve and country commissioner.

This is beginning to sound an awful lot like the McCarthy hearings which my mother made me watch: "History in the making." Not ever wanting to run for office after watching that debacle - not the proudest of moments for the United States - I never screened my acquaintances as appropriate for my future political aspirations.

I admit I never found out about my Brownie leader until much later. Had I known at seven I have a real picture of the discussion with my mother. "I'm not going to the meeting." "Why ever not?" "I just feel she is not an appropriate role model for my formative years, Mom."

I was often accused of having a smart mouth and I doubt that dialog would have helped. I did stop going to my Girl Scout troop meetings when in high school. I was the only Democrat in the group and it was just really uncomfortable to attend as my mother was Democratic Precinct leader and very pro J.F.Kennedy. One of those girls in the troop had a child out of wedlock after being raped. Does that count against me? Or should I say I stopped going because she was not a good example? Must I denounce and reject her and our former affiliation as members of the same scout group?

And if Obama is to be condemned for belonging to a church that filed its taxes wrong what about Hillary being married to a unfaithful husband that lied about it.

I really do think I could bring something to public office but no way am I even going there. I wonder how many other able and talented leaders are out there which are being excluded not just because of youthful transgressions but the transgressions of friends and organizations?