Lookin' better than a body has a right to

Remember that old Dolly Parton song? "Here you come again and here I go …" I'm watching Sen. John Edwards address a barbecue in New Hampshire. He's so gorgeous.

He's talking about how we don't need politicians, we need leaders. He's talking about the heart of the American people, and how the world doesn't realize that in addition to being powerful, we're decent and caring. He talked about Darfur and New Orleans, about healthcare and poverty. I agree with everything he said and was striken by how long it's been since our dialog has included talk about the less fortunate and our responsibility to our fellow citizens, fellow humans.

I was also, truth to tell, striken by how good that blue shirt looks with his blue eyes.

That's not all, of course. I love how proud he is of wife Elizabeth, who is waging a battle against breast cancer. I love his moonlight and magnolias voice, and how his hair looks in the sunlight.

Having a crush on a possible president makes me uncomfortable. My never-disguised lust for Edwards was OK back in 2004 because he was undeniably our vice presidential candidate. Senator John Kerry was the top of the ticket, our alpha. There was never any Bush/Cheyney "whose in charge here?" confusion.

But with the possibility of John Edwards being our candidate, and our president, in 2008, I'm not sure my distinctly carnal feelings are appropriate. Politicians should be leaders. Presidents should be even more than that. Viewing the president as my dream date just seems wrong somehow. Frivolous. Icky/incestuous. Like being in love with your minister.

So instead I'll turn to ESPN, and more comfortable territory. Why look at that! Greg Maddux is taking the mound for the Los Angeles Dodger! The 12th most winning pitcher in the history of baseball, the one with the sweetest baby face, is about to face Barry Bonds in the heat of a pennant race. Dodger blue doesn't look as good on him as Cubbie blue did, but to me he still looks better than a body has a right to, too.

How do I help?

A good friend, old and true, is having money troubles. Her ex-husband is up to date with child support but a few months late in his payments to the kids' doctors and school. Her payments on the new used car don't fit as easily into her monthly budget as she thought they would. Neither she nor the kids have dental insurance, so she has quite a bit of toothy debt on plastic.

To make matters worse, she feels like a fiscal crimnal because the man she is involved with and desperately wants to marry does not believe in accumulating credit card debt. (Because he's been "cleaned out" by two ex-wives; a man with two divorces behind him may not have money issues, but I bet he's carrying baggage of the emotional variety.)

And now her cat Callie has resumed urinating on the furniture. "Callie's got to go." I asked her what she was going to do with Cal. After all, shelters are overcrowded and prospective owners never come in looking for overweight adult cats who pee on the furniture. She said she didn't know. We both know what she's going to do with poor Callie. I asked her to please not do anything until she takes Callie to a different vet. Her current vet dismisses Callie's behavior as purely behavioral, and while I know that cats are finicky critters, I believe there must be a solveable problem at the root of this. (My cat Charlotte peed on the carpet for months and months until the vet discovered an internal infection and I installed a second litter box.)

Karen says that she simply cannot afford to take Callie to the vet at all.

I want to help. I make more money than she does and I have a very strong credit rating. I get tons of balance transfer offers in the mail every week. I'm thinking of lending her money that way and letting her pay it off according to the terms of the promotional offer.

I realize that will just be more debt, but I'm quite sure it will be at a more attractive interest rate than she's paying. I wish I could just give her the money outright, but I can't afford to do that right now. I have more debt, and less in retirement accounts, than is wise for a woman my age. Digging myself in deeper to help her just doesn't make sense. Plus it would send my long-term goals, renovating my kitchen and bathroom, even further into the distance.

And I can't take Callie. That would be 4 cats in a two bedroom condo. Aside from the fact that I'd be in violation of village ordinance, it would further cement my reputation as crazy cat lady.

So we'll see what this week's mail brings, credit-offer-wise. If it makes sense for her, I hope she'll take me up on it. This is what friends are for, right?