Josh, a friend from UCLA asked if Alex and I wanted to go out to dinner at Mama Ayesha's with his fiance and a few other friends. When we all sat down, Josh laughed and said that the composition of the group could make for the beginning of a joke. Here is the synopsis of our politically diverse dinner table:
Josh & Catherine: I ran a campaign against Josh for UCLA President before my candidate lost in the preliminary round. Then I and the Bruin Democrats endorsed Josh even though Josh was conservative. After graduation, Josh went off to work at the White House. He left the White House last October to go work for John Ashcroft's law firm. John Ashcroft once started singing 'You're So Vain' to Josh. Catherine is Josh's fiance. They're both Evangelical Christians voting for John McCain.
Lauren & Dave: Lauren was in the Bruin Democrats with me and took classes on the Middle East with Josh. She is much more liberal than I, and works for a technology consulting firm started by some Deaniacs. Her boyfriend Dave is also uber liberal and does something in politics.
Ashlynn & her sister: Ashlynn and Josh met through a program that goes to Israel. Now she works for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (aka: AIPAC, the huge pro-Israel lobby). Like Josh, she's an conservative Evangelical Christian.
Cara: Cara worked in the White House with Josh. Like many Bushies, she went to the Unviersity of Texas. I do not know who she is voting for, but she has friends on the Huckabee campaign.
Me & Alex: Even though I shop at Banana Repbulic(an), I think everyone knows where I stand politically. Alex is a registered independent now in DC, meaning he cannot vote in the primaries. He would vote for Hillary if he was as Democrat, and McCain if he was a Republican. Figure that one out.
Helen Thomas: Helen has been a White House correspondent for 57 years, and was the first woman part of the National Press Club. Ok, Helen was not eating at our table, but she was in the restaurant.
They say that politics can make for strange bedfellows. I think my dinner last night has showed me that politics can also make for strange dining fellows. At least we can all agree that Middle Eastern food is good. Which actually reminds me of the West Bank Story, winner of the 2006 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. A clip:
A musical comedy set in the fast-paced, fast-food world of competing falafel stands in the West Bank... David, an Israeli soldier, falls in love with the beautiful Palestinian cashier, Fatima, despite the animosity between their families' dueling restaurants. Can the couple's love withstand a 2000 year old conflict and their families' desire to control the future of the chic pea in the Middle East?
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