A political season test

It’s that time again. The presidential election campaign dominates the airwaves and the Internet. People who think they are uniquely qualified to lead the country, command the most powerful military in the history of the planet, and affect the lives of billions of people around the world are assembled with their most enthusiastic supporters — speechifying, letting off balloons, patting each other on the back, and smiling for the camera, all in an effort to garner my vote and yours.

Candidates pitch their agenda and make their case, but most miss the mark with me, and, yes, it does relate to animals, but not in the way you might think. I’m not expecting the president to make a proclamation in support of no-kill, as encouraging and as energizing as that might be. No, my point system is much more modest than that.

My basic assessment is really simple and comes down to one question: Would I trust this person to look after my dog or cat? Could I trust this individual to take sufficient attention off of himself to look after my pet for a couple of days to make sure that they are safe, comfortable, protected and receiving a reasonable amount of attention? On inspection, most politicians fail this threshold analysis of character. I just would not trust most of them with my dog, let alone with a nuclear arsenal at their disposal.

So, let’s have some fun. Which candidate, Obama or Romney, would you trust to look after your dog or cat for a few days? Post your comments below, and let’s see who gets the most votes!