NPR: The Smell Test for the 2008 Contenders

The Smell Test for the 2008 Contenders

With smoke-filled rooms and sleazy dealings, politics can, well, stink. So, an enterprising West Virginian has figured out how to take the stench out of the political process.

April Cline is producing Presidential Perfume. Each of the top presidential candidates has a specially-designed fragrance.

The "Hillary" scent is described as "strong and clean" but also "delicate." Cline's website says "Hillary" is a "floral blend of jasmine, violet, rose and sheerest musk."

Cline told the Salt Lake City Deseret News "It"s a clean and confident fragrance. That does well for Hillary, who is also confident."

The "Barack" fragrance has "clean (and) citrusy notes of Bergamot and musk (to) energize you."

It "makes you happy as soon as you smell it," Cline says in the Deseret News. "It's energizing. He (Obama) is so energizing that it's appropriate."

John McCain gets what Cline describes as a "clean conservative scent." That is achieved, apparently, with "Bergamot, Water Lily (and) Lavender woven with cool greens and frosty musk."

"The frosty musk is not because he's 71," she notes on her Web site [which goes with the slogan "The smell of victory!], without further explanation. Perhaps it's a scent used in old Old Spice? Cline goes on to say the fragrance evokes the smell of a freshly-cleaned t-shirt hanging out on a clothes line on a Spring day.

So who smells best to the perfumer of presidential hopefuls? None of the above. Cline favored Mitt Romney but he dumped out of the race before she could concoct HIS smell. We bet it would start with "clean" and end with "musk," just like each of the surviving contenders.

But we think YOU might be able to fill out the formula for Romney, Mike Huckabee, John Edwards and the rest of the departed candidates. Post your suggestions below.

And get ready to hold your nose in the voting booth, if this thing really catches on.

-- Howard Berkes

1:57 PM ET | 03-17-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

I'd love to post what I think those ex-candidates stink like, but if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

However, I think John Edwards might smell like cotton candy.

Sent by Angela Vetri | 3:01 PM ET | 03-17-2008

this is hilarious...surely someone was hoping to "smell like teen spirit" - at least to those who are 18 and old enough to vote.

Sent by Jax | 9:26 AM ET | 03-18-2008

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