Wow, what an interesting guy. The closest we'll ever get to a world leader with an actual "personality".(other than the completely insane ones)

His politics were inconsequential to me, simply because when he accepted the mantle of leadership he would have had to temper many of his actual beliefs. How he managed to deal every day with the grey bureaucrats that surrounded him I'll never know, but at least for a few years I guess he found the "trade-off" livable.

For a couple of years I was the Liberal Party's "hired sing-along gun", going out to entertain the Party faithful before Trudeau would make his speech, and afterward while the cheques were being written. I had a chance to talk with him a couple of times, and although I couldn't understand the whole "charisma" thing (he was short, skinny and seemed dis-interested in Politics and especially Politicians) I felt honoured that he'd chat with the folksinger. He knew a bit about Dylan, but since I knew he'd had a long affair with Liona Boyd, I tried to talk classical guitar......he was polite, which I thought was nice of him.

Heather and I often talk about which Political leaders would be fun to have to dinner. We figured that Reagan would have good movie stories, Jean Cretien would be incomprehensible, no matter WHAT he talked abut, Margaret Thatcher would be simply boring. Clinton might come down to the basement and jam on his sax. Afterward he'd tell Peter T. and I harrowing stories of almost being caught in "Flagrante delecto". We figure Carter's the guy we'd like

Rick