My oh my, Berkeley was a good time. Those of you who heard this week’s show have literally heard the half of it, as the evergreen show from Friday night won’t air for a couple of months, probably (and even then, you can be sure that Paula and me messing with the on-stage sign language translators by compelling them to repeatedly interpret variants of Ronald Reagan’s complaint that he felt like he’d metaphorically “crapped a pineapple”… well, you can be sure that that particular exchange will never grace the airwaves…).

And it was great meeting our FA friends Landis and Hedera. And being in the same room with Siobhan was also a treat, even if she couldn’t stick around. [No, no, I know she has a great excuse.]

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But I came back to say that I learned something last week, traveling all over this great nation of ours, all the way from the shores of California to the… beaches… of more-northern… er… California. Anyway, I learned something. The American people are strong. The American people are smart. Probably smarter and stronger than other people who are not American. And that is because we are a nation made up of people from all over the world, from those very nations which are not quite as strong and as smart but somehow when combined into America make the whole mass, the “people,” stronger and smarter than their component parts in a very real way. What I’m saying is that the people of America are a great people, greater than other people in many ways. With all due respect to other people, though, who are always welcome to bring their by-definition less-great peoplehood here to make us… greater. I don’t know how that works, come to think of it. It’s one of those glorious mysteries.

But what I’m trying to say is this: The great, strong, smart American people are crying out for a new brand of leadership. Not that they’re weak, or crybabies. No, what they’re doing is asking, then, asking for a new kind of leadership with new ideas and new approaches that will help America become the great nation that it already is.

Obviously, the old ideas and old ways of being the greatest, smartest, strongest nation on earth aren’t working, even though we are unquestionably the greatest, strongest, and smartest on earth. That’s why we need new ideas and new approaches to help us realize the dream of being an even BETTER nation than we already are.

Let me tell you a little story - true story - from my travels last week. After a performance in Berkeley, I met a young man. Or woman. His or her name and appearance isn’t something I remember, but on his/her shining face I saw all the promise and hope of this great nation of ours. And he/she came to me, this bright-eyed youngster, who couldn’t have been more than 25 years old or less than 8 or so. And this sad, wise, noble 8-25 year-old told told me his/her story of woe and pain, about her suffering mother or his inability to find work or maybe there was something about a sick kid or a lost dog or something equally heart-wrenching and clearly the fault of the flawed policies of the past few years.

And I tell you, friends, I looked down and/or up into those larger-than-you’d-think eyes, and I was overcome with sympathy. “What can I do for you, little/young boy/girl/man/woman? How can I help?”

And as God is my witness, he/she straightened his/her back and said, proudly. “Oh, nothing for me. I’m gonna make it. But there are people in my exact position who have it worse than me, Adam, and I wish you could help them by taking control of this country and putting it on the right track.”

“But what can I do?” I asked. “I’m only one man. And I’m not President.”

“No, that’s what I’m saying,” the lad/lass countered. “I’m suggesting that you in fact run for President and heal our nation.”

“But how?” I pressed, though I knew that this innocent wouldn’t have anything concrete to offer - just raw, honest feelings. “Only the President can fix the very real problems that you and others like you have been suffering from!”

“No, you’re not listening,” he/she pleaded. “I’ll say it very slowly. I am suggesting that you run for President of the United States.”

And my friends, I left that show that night with the impression that that bright, strong, unbowed, noble young man and/or woman was trying to tell me something that night, even if he she didn’t know exactly what she or he was trying to say. It’s an idea, vague and shapeless at first, but growing each day since the 4-6 days since I had that very real encounter with that person. And now it has solidified into a thought. A simple, humble thought.

And that is why, friends, that today, the 14th Day of February, 2007, Valentine’s Day, I am formally announcing that I have begun to think about the possibility of asking some people about the logistics of figuring out how to set up a task force to look into laying the groundwork for setting up an Exploratory Committee to determine the feasibility of me running for the Presidency of the United States of America.

It’s a big step, I know. And something that goes far beyond what that brave young boy/girl on that blustery and/or calm evening last week ever dreamed of, but there it is. America has the best of everything, and it deserves better. And I think that I might be the person to think about helping you go and git it! Who’s with me!?

Thank you, and God bless America.