"WILD-CARD!!"

In my younger days, I was a man who liked an occasional game of chance; I would rarely turn down an invitation to a good poker game. At times, some of these games became a little pricey and quite a bit of money was lying on the table. I remember one game where a close friend of mine lost his car. We always had one hard and fast rule; no wild-card games. If you are a "parlor gambler" who plays for pennies or just for "fun", you have probably engaged in games that include wild-cards. For those of you who don't play poker, a wild-card is any card that can be designated to enhance your hand. Games like "Acey-Deucey", with aces and deuces wild, or "baseball" with 3s and 9s wild, can lead to a hand with six kings or eight queens; no real gambler will sit in at a game like that. Wild-cards can change the entire strategy of a poker player's skills; there is no way to plan your hand with the presence of wild-cards. You won't find any wild-card games in Las Vegas or Reno!

Next year, we will be having our nation's biggest "Poker Game", the Presidential Election of 2012. In November, Americans will be gambling on who they think will do the best job as Chief Executive in the United States for the next four years. The Democrats will most likely re-nominate incumbent President, Barack Obama, barring a "dark horse" who could possibly challenge him.

The Republicans have a field of politicians, few of whom could be labeled as progressive or liberal, and all of whom are conservative when compared to our current President. There is one person running for the nomination who differs from the rest of the field in one area; he is not now, nor has he ever been a politician: that man is Herman Cain, CEO of the Godfather Pizza chain. Mr. Cain is a businessman with common sense, conservative ideas and a candor that seems to ring true to many prospective voters. Mr. Cain is the "Wild-Card" in the Republican race for the presidential nomination. Oh, by the way, Mr. Cain is black, yet those supposed racists from the Republican Party seem to be embracing him anyway; now there is a shock for you! Mr. Cain's entrance into this race has been welcomed by many conservative voters, including the TEA Party (you know, the racists). Should Mr. Cain win in the primaries and receive the nomination of the Republican Party, it will most certainly cause many on the left consternation because they will be forced to abandon their charges of racism against almost every conservative American. You see how much a wild-card can screw up your game!

I like Herman Cain; I don't know if he can get the nomination or if he is the best candidate; but he is a "game changer" for the entire field of candidates and our incumbent President. I can't wait to see what cards the dealer will turn next, in America's "Big Game"!