Dinner Companions

December 27, 2002
2:40 PM CST

Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?

Here’s the set-up.  You can invite four men and four women over to dinner, from any era or place (and assume that there is no language barrier, so conversation is possible).  Who would be on your guest list, and why?

The Men:

1.  Thomas Jefferson.  TJ is possibly my favorite politician of all time, simply because he got so much right.  I’d be enthralled to hear him tell exactly what went on at the Constitutional Convention, and during the writing of the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights.  Although I’d be ashamed for him to see what has become of the republic which he helped create.

2.  Winston Churchill.  I’m an unabashed admirer of Sir Winston, as a politician, as a national leader, but most especially as a man.  No one, no matter how much they may have opposed or disliked him, ever doubted his courage, because it was irreproachable.  And I’d just love to hear his opinion on the horrible British PM Tony Blair.

3.  Marcus Tullius Cicero.  A matchless orator with an incisive mind and unimpeachable principles.  Cicero’s thoughts have inspired almost every philosopher, politician and soldier since, whether they knew it or not.

4.  David Niven.  Every dinner party needs a raconteur, and Niven was, from all accounts, the best ever (heck, he turned his after-dinner tales into a wonderful autobiography).  Also, he managed to sleep with an astonishing number of Hollywood beauties, and I’d love to hear some inside gossip, as it were.

The Women:

1.  Margaret Thatcher.  I enjoy simple guts, and like Churchill, Maggie has that in ample quantity.  Hell, she has more balls than most politicians alive, or dead.  And I like her politics.  Anyone who can put the foul labor unions to flight has my respect.

2.  Boadicea (Boudicca).  This woman rebelled against the Roman Empire, twice, and defeated the legions more times than that--which makes her better than about 90% of Rome’s other enemies.  The discussion between her and Jefferson alone would be worth the price of admission.

3.  Madame de Sta�l.  Her salon’s influence on 19th-century French thought and politics was considerable, even though she was neither a philosopher nor a politician.  But her personality was formidable, and her morals questionable.  My kinda gal.

4.  Camille Paglia.  Yes, compared to the above, she’s a lightweight.  But she also has uncommon commonsense, and a waspish way with words which seldom fails to elicit a chuckle from me.  Plus, Camille tilts at the Feminist Windmill, and any rebel is welcome in my house.