 |
NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) - Troy Small has been
stumping three years for the U.S. presidency, and it looks like he's got
what it takes. He has the power suit, flag-bearing business cards, a
campaign Web site, an attractive, supportive family and a solid idea of
what he would accomplish in the White House. "I'll fight Saddam ... and
Osama. I think I'll find them, too, and say, 'Who wants a piece of
cake?"' said Troy. He is, after all, 6 years old and seemed to be
referring to a piece of pie in the face rather than serving up a
friendly two-tiered confection. The pint-sized politician has been on
the campaign trail since the tender age of 3, when his father, John
Small, was reading a presidential trivia book. "He was asking what I was
reading, so I started telling him about it, and he just kind of got
fascinated. He thought that was pretty cool," the elder Small aid. What
followed were a series of presidential requests from the tyke: a trip to
the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library in Iowa on Hoover's birthday; a
visit to the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace in California instead
of Disneyland; and a bed in the shape of Mount Rushmore. The last one
never happened. Instead, Troy got a replica of Abraham Lincoln's box at
Ford's Theatre - a bunk bed draped with scalloped American flags and
covered in patriotic pillows. Also around his room are more flags, books
on the presidents, a clock and poster decorated with presidential faces
and two dolls of his favorite commander in chief, George W. Bush. Troy
got within inches of Bush during the president's visit to Omaha in May,
but didn't get the opportunity to press the flesh. If they did meet,
Troy said he knows what he'd do. "I'd give him one of my business cards
and get him a free sticker," he said. Troy has taken the stage before.
His dresser top is nearly covered with awards from his days as a baby
pageant contestant. "Those two were from the last baby pageants ever,"
said Troy, musing about the good ol' days. "That was the saddest day of
my life." But like any good candidate, it's onward and upward. The
political hopeful takes pride in his catalogue of presidential
knowledge. Queries from his father and mother, Heidi, illicit answers to
questions like: Which presidents died on the same day? Who was the
heaviest president? And who is on various large currencies like the
$1,000 bill? Troy's stumping has not gone unnoticed. He appeared on CNN
last week, and this week is scheduled to appear on CBS's morning show
and fly to New York for another talk show appearance - a trip Troy
called his "life's dream." "It's just starting to snowball, which is
great for Troy, because he's loving it," said the boy's mother, who
calls the exposure a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, she
worries the blur of engagements will take a toll on his school work. She
recently had him transferred to the local Montessori school, noting he
had become frustrated at public school and needs to work at his own
pace. Meanwhile, he's developing new interests - like the solar system,
the human body and paleontology. He's also got a classmate who's
volunteered to be his first lady and a 2-year-old sister, Taylor, who
could fit as his running mate. He's looking forward to his presidential
prerogatives after a big win in 2032. "I get to look at the $1,000 bill.
I get to make the butler do all my work," Troy explained. "And I can eat
my dessert first." |
