Opinion: Early Bird Specials

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The rich, as F. Scott Fitzgerald famously wrote, ‘are different than you and me.’ And so it is with presidential candidates. The latest proof: answers by the current crop of contenders when the Associated Press asked, ‘What time is ‘sleeping in.’ ‘

Among the combined group of Democrats and Republicans, most responded either 7 a.m. or 8 a.m.! The only thing close to a slacker: Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, who answered 8:30-9 a.m. And former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee gets the crack-of-dawn award for insisting, ‘Five a.m. is late for me. Most days I am up no later than 4:30 a.m.’

Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, who came late to fatherhood, provided an answer parents can relate to, giving no particular time but saying simply: ‘With a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old?’

The AP elicted these responses as part of a variety of questions aimed at revealing the candidates’ more personal sides. For instance, the wire service also asked about favorite foods and exercise programs. The panoply of responses can be viewed here.

-- Don Frederick