Innisfail.

Mr Smith was intrigued to read how one ex-pat Scot has played his part in preserving a unqiue part of American political history.

"A SCOTS millionaire has shelled out £1.5million for a historic yacht once used by American presidents including JFK. Frank Lynch, boss of the old Glasgow Apollo, bought the Innisfail for £770,000 then spent the same sum restoring it. The 68-year-old plans to lease the 92ft vessel used by John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon, Harry S. Truman and Dwight Eisenhower to wealthy tourists."

That's dedication for you and a pretty big investment in helping retain a piece of American political history.

Doing a JFK?

With his interest in American politics Mr Smith was fascinated to read the piece in The Times a couple of days ago in which one of the contenders for the Republican Presidential nomination in the US, Mitt Romney was profiled.

Now Mr Smith has nothing against Mr Romney’s Mormon faith but notes that one of the tenets of his religion is that according to “the Church of the Latter Day Saints, … that the Saviour will rule from twin capitals of the new Jerusalem in Missouri and the old one in the Middle East,” should (or rather when) he returns.

Mr Smith notes that the Times article suggests that Mitt Romney intends to “ ‘to do a JFK’ in (his) quest for presidency.” All very good and well, but Mr Smith seems to recall that during his successful run for the Presidency, JFK was forced to say that his first allegiance would be to the constitution of the US and not to the head of his own Roman Catholic Church, the Pope, because of concerns amongst American voters on this very point.

Mr Romney is obviously not as bothered as JFK if he doesn’t feel the need to concede this point or perhaps he just hasn’t come under enough pressure yet? Or perhaps he just shouldn't concede it?