The Presidential Competency Test.

Someone should develop a Presidential Competency Test. If you fail a task in the first round of the test, you should end your campaign.

It should be a fairly simple task. For instance, can you put together an organization that can make balloons fall from the rafters on cue. Apparently, John Kerry can't.

Democrats struggle with balloons

By: Associated Press

BOSTON -- The Democrats have a balloon problem.

John Kerry concluded his acceptance speech Friday night, the jubilant convention crowd cheered and the balloons dropped. A few of them. Too few.

"Go balloons," said convention producer Don Mischer, instructing the balloon droppers. "Go balloons. Go balloons!" His voice was becoming increasingly frantic -- and it was going out over CNN.


"I don't see anything happening," he said angrily. Unknown to him, CNN was running his name and title across the bottom of the screen.

Long minutes after the place was supposed to be a blizzard of balloons and confetti, Mischer was still shouting that it wasn't happening, at least it wasn't right. Viewers saw a lot of balloons, in fact, and Kerry, family members and delegates happily

batted them around. But nothing like the 100,000 that had been supposed to cascade down.

At one point Mischer used a profanity to rebuke his balloon-dropping crew. CNN was still broadcasting his voice.

[It was something similar to 'What the Hell!?!!? There aren't any balloons falling.]

Finally, they all showered down. And Mischer's unhappy moment of TV fame was over.

It was one of the few times I was glad I was watching CNN. I laughed so hard I nearly peed. Especially when the comparisons to a similar trickle of balloons at the Carter Convention began.

What kind of grab-ass operation are they running? How are we supposed to believe these guys can take on al-Qaeda when they get outwitted by BALLOONS?

[Update: Drudge has hilarious audio of the incident here.]