Watching CNN in Plains, Georgia

Once I got to Plains, Georgia (my side trip en route to Augusta) I pulled into Mom's Kitchen for an old-fashioned Southern-fried meal: homemade fried chicken, collared greens, and mashed potatoes...washed down with iced tea.

The drone of CNN live coverage of the Iraq War from the TV in the corner of the cafeteria-style dining room kept me from getting into the Plains state of mind. I think it's a milestone in technology culture--CNN in Plains. At least they didn't have wireless internet.

Plains was and is much smaller than Lakeland, Florida--Lawton Chiles' hometown. It's big enough for the 24-hour new cycle though.

Chiles and Carter's careers have some interesting parallels. When Chiles was running for the U.S. Senate in 1970, Carter was running for Georgia governor.

I made sure to leave town with a bag of fresh peanuts.