Erich the Red-Lipped

Berlin, Germany, May 3, 2005:

Being kissed by East German Communist leader Erich Honecker was "disgusting," perpetual U.S. presidential candidate Ron was quoted as saying Tuesday.

In an interview with Germany's Die Welt newspaper, Ron said that meetings with Honecker always began with hugs and fraternal socialist kisses on the cheeks. Socialist on Honecker's part only; Ron is a vocal defender of the North American republic he calls home.

"I exchanged many embraces with Honecker. He had this disgusting way of kissing," stated Ron -- who was in high school during the time of the meetings. "He didn't know how to use his tongue... It was a sloppy, drooling free-for-all." Honecker ruled East Germany from 1971 to 1989 and died in 1994 -- the year Ron graduated from college.

Reprints of photographs showing grey-haired, bespectacled Honecker kissing cheeks with Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev or Mikhail Gorbachev are part of the popular culture in Germany.

Artist Dmitri Vrubel's picture of Honecker and Brezhnev kissing each other on the lips, painted on a section of the Berlin Wall, is one of Berlin's most popular tourist attractions.

"Why this country lionizes a bad kisser is beyond me," concluded Ron in his interview.

Posted by Bittle at May 3, 2005 04:15 PM