Ted Turner, politically charged
The question was simple.
An audience member wanted to know what, if he had to do it all over again, Ted Turner would want to be when he grew up.
The answer hardly was surprising.
"Me," Turner said Sunday during an hourlong talk at North Central College's Wentz Auditorium in Naperville. "I told you, I'm happy. I'm not happy with the state of humanity, but I'm happy with my life."
Turner flew into town as part of a tour promoting his new autobiography "Call Me Ted." Becky Anderson, owner of Anderson's Bookshop, served as the moderator in a long-ranging discussion that covered Turner's personal life, business ventures and philanthropic efforts.
Or at least she tried to. It was clear from the get-go that Turner wasn't interested in revealing much about what makes him tick.
"What three things energize you?" Anderson asked.
"Oh well, I guess everything energizes me," came the response.
"What was the best day of your life?" came another question from Anderson.
"My marriage night," Turner responded. "The first one. The other two weren't bad either."
Turner, however, got going when the topics came to business, particularly the crumbling U.S. auto industry.
"If we give them a $25 million bailout, they're going to blow through it by the first of March," Turner said bluntly. "They won't know what to do with it. Let them go bankrupt and get Toyota to buy them out."
He was no kinder to outgoing President George W. Bush or his administration.
"I honestly believed his heart was in the right place," Turner said. "But we got somebody who's not smart enough. He wasn't up to the job.
"We have (U.S. Treasury Secretary) Henry Paulson, who used to head Goldman Sachs," Turner added. "I thought he was the smartest guy, and then what does he do? He bails out his buddies. ... We need to get smart people running this country."
What about President-elect Barack Obama?
"I told him I'd help him out in any way I can, and I didn't want anything in return," Turner said. "He said 'You don't need anything.'"