Cats scratched . . . Two felines were cat-egorically denied ballot access
last week by the Arizona Secretary of State's office when they tried to
file
as write-in candidates for president and vice president of the United
States.

Isis Rosen, party not designated, and her brother, Icarus, submitted their
nomination papers for the posts. But like a fussy feline rejecting a
plateful of food, the cats' campaign manager was rebuffed.

"We did have to reject them as he (the manager) didn't provide 10
presidential electors and they're not registered (voters)," deputy
Secretary
of State Kevin Tyne said.

There were other flaws that Tyne, perhaps out of politesse, did not
mention.
Such as the age thing.

Isis, a Phoenix resident, is but 10 years old. The Constitution says the
president has to be at least 35. Of course, who knows if Isis is in her
first life, or her fifth or her ninth?

Also, both cats call Arizona home. And as we learned in 2000, when Texan
Dick Cheney quickly re-registered as a Wyoming resident, the prez and vp
can't be from the same state.

But, can a cat run for office?

Isis and Icarus, in a written statement submitted to the secretary of
state,
assert that they can. There's nothing in the state or U.S. constitutions
that expressly rules out a cat, they asserted.

Well, actually, both constitutions reference a "person" when referring to
qualifications for office.

Is a cat a person? We'll save that debate for another day.