Riverbelle casino…

The point — politicians are not normal people as you and I understand normal — and their families aren’t normal.

This is not a spitting contest to figure out “who’s stanger, the Carters or the Bushes.”

They all be strange.

I remember Billy Carter and the only mistake he made other then being a simple minded redneck was to try to market “Billybeer”.

So he drank a little, is there a law against a private U.S. citizen drinking and smoking. At least he never got caught with a hooker, males included like a lot of the Bush buddies did.

My first thought is that the lesson should be, “Don’t do it!” as in, “Let’s not have a president for the next four years and see how that works out.”

But that won’t happen – we will have one egomaniac or another in the Oval Office. And the odds are his or her connections will prove equally bizzare and/or dangerous and/or freaky.

We’ve all heard now about Obama’s “spiritual mentor,” Rev. Wright. Doubtless similarly macabre associations for McCain and Clinton will emerge as well.

What gives? Well, if you conclude, as rationality demands you must, that anyone who would want to be U.S. president is ipso facto demented, there’s a straight line from that to this phenomenon — exotic, nightmarish personal and family connections that most of us ordinary folk would not have on a bet.

My permanent solution for this madness? Rein in executive power with a highly restrictive constitutional amendment, thus making the office unattractive to those among us with serious personality disorders. Or, better yet, the a plural executive a la Switzerland, increasing the chances we’ll have a couple of normal people involved at the top of the federal republic.

Otherwise, we should get used to it. And it’s nothing new. Two words: Billy Carter.