On Killer Whales and Politicians.

Poor Shamu.

Okay, it wasn't his real name, but everyone knows Shamu as the defacto killer whale on display at Sea World in Florida.

And he has finally lived up to his name. Killer. Some are even calling him a murderer. But is he really?

We take these poor animals out of their environment, place them in a pool, teach them some parlor tricks and put them on display for the sole purpose of making money. Then we act outraged when they start to act on their normal instincts. Seems silly to me.

I do feel sorry that the trainer died. But this was not the first time that this particular whale has shown that he can kill, nor will it be the last, unless he is forever kept away from humans. But in fairness to him, he was only being himself. Man got in the way and paid the price.

Live by the sword, die by the sword.

And so that brings me to politicians. They are placed on display as well, mainly during election season. They pander, they preen. They promise all sorts of lovely things. We treat some like rock stars, showing up in hoards at big rallies. Asking for autographs and photos. We are taken in by the show. And many times that is all it really is, a show.

Once elected though, when the spotlight fades, often they return to who they really are. Their natural instincts take over. Suddenly they sense a new aura surrounding them. Power. It is enticing and heady. And sometimes that power starts to make them feel invincible, and they make big mistakes.

Usually, these mistakes are sexual in nature. Sometimes they have to do with money, but those do not make the headlines nearly as often as the sex thing.

So how are the killer whales and the politicians connected? We expect a lot from both. We expect a killer whale to be on display in a pool and entertain us all with cute little games he plays with his trainer. We ignore the fact that this 12,000 pound animal has natural instincts that could kill someone. We just expect him to play by our rules, and when he doesn't, we are outraged.

Same holds true true for politicians. We don't really like to hear about our President having sex with a intern, or a potential Presidential hopeful impregnating a woman while his wife is receiving chemotherapy. No, we hate that. We expect more. But are we expecting too much?

People are still people. Just like whales are still whales, no matter how much you train them and pretend that they are pets. We feel our politicians are somehow better than the average person, then us. But the fact is, they are not. They are just people, too. Many times they are very narcissistic in nature to begin with, and that is probably what propelled them into politics in the first place. So we should not be so surprised when their true natural instincts come out. We probably knew about their shortcomings all along, but chose to ignore them.

So, we should cut Shamu a break. But should we give that same break to, say, John Edwards or Mark Sanford? Perhaps not. One would think that even though a killer whale cannot control their natural impulses, that these men could. That they could look beyond themselves and do what is right for the greater good; namely their family and their position in Government.

That would be the hope. But just like that poor trainer learned, you can never really trust a wild animal to always do what, in our minds, is right. And in that regard, I guess we should never really trust that politicians will always do the right thing either. But does that mean that they cannot still do their job, just because they cannot control themselves in a personal nature?

Such is the dilemma. Much like Sea World is continuing its whale shows and pondering the fate of the killer, we sometimes allow personal misgivings of our politicians to be forgiven, too. Look at Bill Clinton; what he did was most distasteful, but he is still admired for his political knowledge and experience.

John Edwards is a putz and should never be allowed back in politics again. What he did was disgraceful. But some politicians just make mistakes that have no impact on their work lives, so shouldn't we just let them keep working? Or at the very least, give them a second chance? I truly do not know the answer to that question.

I will never know if Shamu will kill again, but I do know he can probably entertain again. I will also never know the inner secrets and misgivings of our elected officials, but can I trust that they can do the right thing going forward as a representative of the people? That they can make good policy decisions that help us all, even though they make bad decisions in their own personal life? That is truly the core issue that we have to ask ourselves.

So, whether it is a 12,000 pound wild animal locked in captivity, or a polished, charismatic politician, I guess we will have to be cautious then and weigh the risks. That is really all we can do.

And to remember that intinct many times trumps reason; in wild animals and in man. And not to be too dissappointed when their true nature finally reveals itself.