Anyway, something else occurred to me last night when I watched John McCain give his post-election speech to his supporters. As he spoke passionately from the teleprompter, I recognized his voice from somewhere else, but I couldn't figure out where. I kept trying to picture who he sounded like. Is it a celebrity? Another politician? A family member? A Raging Stallion exclusive? Hmm.

A melody with that voice entered my head. I tried humming it along with his speech. Where have I heard this song before? Oh God, where???

Then it hit me. This is what I heard him say during his speech:

"My fellow Arizonans...you know, I was over 40 years old before I could claim a hometown like Reagan could, and I can't express how fortunate I feel to have found a home in this beautiful state that has come to mean so much to me and Reagan...Your nails won't break and your toes won't stub. You never get a fever when there ain't no hole in the washtub..."

OMG - that's it! Emmet Otter is running for president.

I don't think he's always channeled Emmet; I would have noticed that before. I think it's a trait he's acquired with age -- which would also explain why Oprah is sounding more like Elmo every day. One can infer that aging eventually leads to some sort of muppet tone development. Think about it. It makes sense. Like weaker bones, it's just another part of growing old. We all could probably assign muppet characters to the changing voices of our older friends and family. Try doing it this weekend with your elders. They would really enjoy it.

You can hear Emmet McCain speak on this video of various bloopers from Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas. As you watch it, you should hear the similarities. If you don't, you may have already developed the muppet tone and can't differentiate. And that's okay. No judgments. Muppets are cute.

The outtakes are amusing too -- especially if you watched the classic movie every holiday like I did. Um, enjoy!