I'm down here in Boca to start the process of selecting the man or woman who, if I'm elected, will serve as my vice president. And what better place to begin than the American Bankers Association's annual convention? Did you know that over 98% of the people in the banking industry are vice presidents?

It's true--walk into any bank and chances are the only employee who isn't a vice president is the Rent-a-Cop guarding the place. Most banks have Assistant Vice Presidents, Second Vice Presidents, Miami Vice Presidents, and Just Plain Vanilla Vice Presidents. There's a saying in the banking industry: Being a Vice President is like being a high school graduate--it only matters if you're not.

You can't throw a toaster oven in a bank without hitting a Vice President. And so far the bankers are still willing to talk to me since Jeremiah Wright hasn't pissed them off by calling them lazy, blood-sucking leeches who have five annual conventions before Labor Day and are always out on the golf course when they should be foreclosing on widows and orphans.

But give them time.