Wouldn’t you know… doing this Project 368 has a perk from time to time.  On occasion, I am granted an interview with certain “personalities” in the media.  I thought a phone call to Mr. Dan Quayle was in order… since his endorsement of Romney has been heavy in the news.  And guess what?  He agreed to speak with me.  So….  I reprint the phone interview which was conducted in the very early hours yesterday.

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Polly Kronenberger: Mr. Quayle. Thanks for doing this interview. I truly appreciate your time. I understand you are visiting the Windy City right now. How are things up that way?

Dan Quayle: “It’s wonderful to be here in the great state of Chicago.”

PK: Uhhh. Okay then. Well, Mr. Quayle, for our younger audience, let me remind everyone that you served as the 44th Vice President of the United States, serving with President George H. W. Bush (1989–1993). If you had to describe your vice presidency with one word… what would it be?

DQ: “One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice-president, and that one word is “to be prepared”

PK: I see. Well, one of the reasons I requested this interview is that you’ve recently given your endorsement of Mitt Romney as the Republican Presidential candidate for 2012. Is this correct?

DQ: Well Polly… “This election is about who’s going to be the next President of the United States!”  “This isn’t a man who is leaving with his head between his legs”

PK: That is an interesting perspective sir.

DQ: Please, call me Dan. Or Danny Boy. I like that too.  Or Dan-O.

PK: Do you think Mitt Romney has what it takes to win? To beat Obama?

DQ: “Votes are like trees, if you are trying to build a forest. If you have more trees than you have forests, then at that point the pollsters will probably say you will win.” 

PK: Ohhhhhkaaaayyyy. Yes… well, let’s talk about some of the issues that are on the table… and what may have influenced you in making this endorsement.  How do you think the current taxing proposals of the Republican Party will affect the poor vs. the rich in America?

DQ: “Republicans have been accused of abandoning the poor. It’s the other way around. They never vote for us.” “It shows `us vs. them,’ and I’m on the `us’ side.

PK: Let’s switch to foreign policy. There has been a lot happening in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now, of course, Iran. What are your thoughts about the tension in that area?

DQ: “The global importance of the Middle East is that it keeps the Far East and the Near East from encroaching on each other”

PK: Oh my. That certainly clears things up.   Switching gears sir….What are your thoughts about education? Do you think our current system is failing in this country?

DQ: “We’re going to have the best-educated American people in the world.” Here is the problem… “No more fuzzy math where four plus three feels like seven. It is seven. No more creative spelling either, I’ve tried that and it doesn’t work” “But quite frankly, teachers are the only profession that teach our children.”

PK: Right. Okay. Ummmm….

Well, Mr. Quayle…. Dan… That is about all the time we have tonight. Any closing remarks you’d like to make before we hang up the phone?

DQ: “The future will be better tomorrow.” “My friends…. no matter how rough the road may be, we can and we will, never, never surrender to what is right.”  “We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not happen”    And just remember… “People who bowl vote. Bowlers are not the cultural elite.”

PK: Thank you sir and goodnight.

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As an avid bowler…  I say….   Quayle’s right about one thing….    I DO….  indeed… vote.

(**NOTE:  All Dan Quayle quotes are actual quotes given by the former Vice President, throughout is political career.**)

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