Tuesday, January 29, 2008
In the next week, people in more than 20 states will vote for the person they want to be the country's next president. The candidates have spent months explaining their views on important issues such as the war in Iraq, the economy, immigration and pollution.
Less known, at this point, is their personal side. What are their favorite foods, worst habits and hidden talents, for example? The Associated Press wire service asked the leading candidates these and other questions. Their responses might surprise you. If you don't already have a favorite in the 2008 race, you might after reading this.
Respondents (listed alphabetically)
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (Democrat, New York)
Former senator John Edwards (Democrat, North Carolina)
Former mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani (Republican, New York)
Former governor Mike Huckabee (Republican, Arkansas)
Senator John McCain (Republican, Arizona)
Senator Barack Obama (Democrat, Illinois)
Former governor Mitt Romney (Republican, Massachusetts)
* Responses edited by KidsPost
Favorite Gadget
Clinton: iPod.
Edwards: iPod.
Giuliani: CD player.
Huckabee: "My laptop or my bass guitar and amplifier."
McCain: Razr cellphone and the TV remote.
Obama: BlackBerry.
Romney: BlackBerry.
Worst Habit
Clinton: Chocolate.
Edwards: Drinking soda.
Giuliani: Talking too much.
Huckabee: Channel-surfing.
McCain: Coffee.
Obama: "Checking my BlackBerry."
Romney: Fidgeting.
Hidden Talent
Clinton: "I love crossword puzzles."
Edwards: "Jump shot."
Huckabee: "Impersonations of dozens of celebrities."
McCain: "Barbecue grill chef."
Romney: "Singing."
Pets
Clinton: "Seamus, our Lab."
Edwards: Golden retriever and chocolate Lab.
Huckabee: Jet, a black Lab, and Sonic the Shih Tzu.
McCain: Sam, an English springer spaniel; Coco the mutt; turtles Cuff and Link; Oreo the black-and-white cat; a ferret; three parakeets; and 13 fish.
Best & Worst Grades/Subjects
Clinton: "I always loved history and got good grades, but I never did well at math."
Edwards: Best was U.S. history. (No answer on "worst.")
Giuliani: Best was constitutional law and contracts in law school; worst was tax law.
Huckabee: A+ in debate; C in ninth-grade algebra.
McCain: "I never got good grades."
Obama: Graduated with honors from Harvard Law School; got a D in eighth-grade French.
Romney: A to F. "Fortunately, I got more A's than F's."
Favorite Food to Cook
Clinton: "I'm a lousy cook,
but I make pretty good scrambled eggs."
Edwards: Hamburgers.
Giuliani: Hamburgers or steak.
Huckabee: Ribeye steak.
McCain: Baby-back ribs.
Obama: Chili.
Romney: Hot dogs.
Other Career Choice
Giuliani: Sports announcer.
Huckabee: Bass guitar player for a rock band.
Obama: Architect.
Nickname
Obama: Barry.
Romney: "In high school my friends called me Bird Legs. And how did I get it? Take a guess."
Prized Possession
Edwards (right): "My running shoes are very important to me."
Giuliani: "My grandfather's pocket watch."
Huckabee: "Probably my Tobias bass guitar."
McCain: "A baseball signed by Ted Williams, my childhood hero."
Obama: "Photograph . . . of the cliffs of Oahu's South Shore, where my mother's ashes are scattered."
Romney: A 1962 Rambler American car. "The last year that my dad was president of American Motors and made Ramblers was 1962, so
it's a connection with my dad."
Shunned Food
Clinton: "Things that are still alive."
Edwards: Mushrooms.
Giuliani: Liver.
Huckabee: Carrots. "I banned them from the governor's mansion."
McCain: "I don't do too well with vegetables."
Obama: Beets.
Romney: "Eggplant, in any shape or form."
Worst Jobs
Clinton: "Sliming fish in a fish cannery in Valdez, Alaska."
Edwards: Textile mill.
Huckabee: "Washing windows at JCPenney's when I was 14. . . . Just as I'd get all the fingerprints wiped off the door, somebody would . . . put their hands all over the glass."
Obama: "Scooping ice cream at Baskin-Robbins and eating too much."
Romney: "Sawing through a sewer pipe that still had active sewage occasionally passing through it."
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