Thurmond Celebrates Century Mark
Happy birthday to Strom Thurmond, who turns 100 today. Thurmond, though he has been dead since 1979, " intends to mark his birthday with a Capitol Hill party with former aides, colleagues, family and corporate friends", as well as a battalion of Capitol Hill EMTs accompanied by a crash cart.
Over the years, Thurmond, a former Democrat turned Republican, redefined durability while he moderated his racial views and nurtured a reputation for a fondness for women.
"I love all of you," Thurmond told colleagues in a farewell speech in the Senate last month, "and especially your wives."
Due to concerns over his failing health, Strom last month turned down an offer from the Comedy Central cable TV network to co-host "The Man Show", saying, "I think those Juggies would be the death of me!" His only known regret was that, in all his years in the Senate, he was never implicated in a sex scandal. To his credit, he did, at age 66, marry a 22-year-old former Miss South Carolina, with whom he had two sons and two daughters. They have been separated since 1991...hopefully he wasn't looking for a younger woman.
