Politicos have big plans for summer

By Frank Pignanelli & LaVarr Webb
Published: Sunday, June 17, 2007 12:32 a.m. MDT
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Ah, summertime. The livin' is easy. Time to kick back, take a break and do what's fun. Go fishing. Read a novel. Climb a mountain. Have a backyard barbecue. At least that's what normal people do. But summer downtime for politicos is a little different. Your intrepid columnists, nosy as we are, have been digging up the dirt on the summer plans of state and national political types. Here's what we learned:

• Legislative Republicans have pledged to spend some time learning how "the other half" lives. Their itinerary includes 7-Eleven stores, Carbon County, bingo games, state liquor stores and real Italian restaurants (whose names actually end in a vowel).

• Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., on a carbon-neutral kick, will be practicing driving a mo-ped instead of his Harley. The flickering lights at the mansion aren't ghosts but all those compact fluorescent bulbs.

• Elected officials in Utah County will be conducting their own diversity outreach to explore a community far different from their own. Destination: South Jordan.

• House Speaker Greg Curtis will kick back by memorizing lines from some of his favorite books: "The Prince," by Machiavelli; "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu; and "Winning Through Intimidation."

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• Senate President John Valentine also loves reading. He'll relax by cuddling up with a thick publication on new IRS regulations.

• Attorney General Mark Shurtleff will be attending the annual meeting for the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG, otherwise known as the National Association of Aspiring Governors).

• Democratic legislators will not take a vacation and have announced they intend to work right through the entire summer. The fear is that if they leave, no one will notice they're gone.

• The major Salt Lake City mayoral candidates will become increasingly desperate for attention as the summer wears on. A number of them have already applied to appear as clowns during the Days of '47 Parade.

• Meanwhile, at the national level, presidential candidate Mitt Romney is continually changing his mind about his vacation plans. He assures us that as his plans evolve into a firm position, he will take his perfect wife, perfect family and perfect hair on a perfect vacation.

• Sen. Hillary Clinton also has not decided her vacation plans. She's awaiting results of a focus group to determine her spot.

• Sen. Barack Obama also has not decided but has already assured everyone that his vacation will be more wholesome and filled with more hope than anywhere Clinton may go.

• Rudy Giuliani says that it doesn't matter where he goes, because wherever he goes, he's still mayor.

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