JOHN SPENCER R.I.P.

Am I the only person who's totally bent out of shape over the death of actor John Spencer? I have always had contempt for people who can't separate reality from fiction and who get upset over their soap opera characters. And I literally woke up this morning worrying about what the ticket is going to do now that Leo is gone....

Besides being a little nutso from Medicare D, I suspect that some of my "not too rational" reaction to this is that the "West Wing" world is one that I retreat to when the real world of national politics becomes too much to bear. You close your eyes and think that Jed Barlet IS the Prez and it's all OK. Even better, you can sleep at night because even IF Alan Alda wins the election, it's OK!!! He's not a wingnut (pun intended...that's the nickname for people like me who are obsessed with WW...)

My daughter happens to work in the entertainment industry in LA (I'd say "Hollywood" but that's where she lives...she WORKS in Beverly Hills...) and so some of the "inside baseball" stuff of the TV universe actually becomes part of our family conversation. So I am waiting until 9am her time to commiserate.

Georgie Ann Geyer has a good column this week on "Peace on Earth" pointing out that while John Lennon TALKED a lot about peace, it didn't begin with him. He caused a lot of personal pain for people who cared about him and could be downright nasty.

Let's remember that there are a lot of REAL Leo McGarry's out there. Flawed, wonderful human beings who try to make the world a better place. Let's celebrate and promote them rather than the pretty boys and girls who are into style and not substance (Mitt, are you listening?)

Peace on Earth.