Word of the Day

I've learned a new word this election season. I honestly had never heard it before. The word is "vetting".

I think it's a funny word, although I don't really know why. Wikipedia has this to say about it:

"Broadly, vetting is a process of examination and evaluation. Specifically, vetting often refers to performing a background check on someone before offering them employment. In addition, in intelligence gathering, assets are vetted to determine their usefulness."

John McCain "vetted" Sarah Palin. Barack Obama had a "vetting process" to find Joe Biden. Is this a really common word and I've just missed it all these years?

Vet, vetted, vetting.

Let's see if I can apply it to my world:

• Did I "vet" my husband before I decided to marry him? (I don't know if I did, but I think he vetted me, because he told me once his dad advised him to check a woman's teeth before marrying her to make sure she'd live good and long!)

• "The Hansens vetted out a few babysitters before deciding which one to hire." (perhaps one day!)

• "Jeremy's vetting process for nursing schools eventually landed him at Wake Tech." (that's not really true... it's the only one he even strongly considered, but it sounds kind of fun.)

I'm gonna try and use this word at least once a week in my conversations. It just sounds too cool not to!! At the very least, I'll sound just as clever as all those politicos out there. Maybe.