IT WAS a good portent for the election: John Bruton parading through the streets with his wife, Finola, in a horse drawn carriage, preceded by mounted police and attracting friendly waves from the onlookers.
The only problem is that the onlookers can't vote for him, because they live in Charleston, South Carolina. But it still felt good to be feted in one of the most attractive cities in the US, steeped in history, and which once played host to Eamon de Valera.
Dev was here in April 1920 during his Sinn Fein fundraising days. He was described on the programme as "First Foreign Sovereign to Ever Visit Charles ton". The chairman of his "programme of entertainment" was A.J. Riley. His grandson, Joseph Riley, mayor of Charleston, welcomed Mr Bruton, the new leader or "Chieftain", as he translated Taoiseach.
In the historic Hibernian Hall on Meeting Street, headquarters of one of the oldest Irish societies in the US, Mr Riley spoke of his pride in standing in his grandfather's place to greet a successor to Dev. The language was not as flowery as the resolution passed by Charleston City Council on April 7th, 1920, which stated that we "do hereby declare that we rejoice and are glad that Eamon de Valera has come amongst us", a "living martyr to the cause of liberty".
Mr Riley was too tactful to refer to the fact that just a few years later, Dev was in an Irish Free State prison following a Civil War in which Mr Bruton's party was the victor.
Charleston has its tragic memories of another Civil War, which was launched on its doorstep on April 12th, 1861, when the Confederate forces of South Carolina bombarded Fort Sumter just a mile out in the bay.
The Taoiseach, who is a history buff, had stared out at the island fort as he toured Charleston. In his answering speech he knew enough about the sensitivities of the South about that grim time to refer to the "War Between the States" rather than the Civil War, or as some still call it down here, the "War of Northern Aggression".
He also graciously paid tribute to Dev "about whom people in my own party would hold strong feelings". He recalled meeting Dev twice. The first time was as a teenage FCA member of the guard of honour inspected by President de Valera at the GPO for the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Rising. This was a very fleeting encounter, the Taoiseach said, straight faced. The second time was when "as the most junior member" of the 1973 coalition government, he was among the Fine Gael and Labour Ministers invited to dinner at Aras an Uachtarain. He spoke of Dev's graciousness and courtesy on that occasion to those who would be his political opponents.
The sturdy steed which had to draw Mr Bruton and his party through the streets of Charleston was a Belgian draft horse appropy called "Big John", weighing 2300 lbs, his owner, Tony, proudly told us.
Then it was clip clop around the old quarter of Charleston with Tony giving the Taoiseach Mrs Bruton, the Ambassador Mr Dermot Gallagher, and his wife Maeve, and official party a lively account of the history while pointing out the beauties of the colonial era mansions and their gardens with azaleas, camelias and wisteria in wonderful colours.
One of the houses had a plaque recalling that it was once owned by Col Robert Brewton, a fact which drew some chuckles from the party.
The tour was only meant to take an hour but lasted closer to three. Tony was thrilled with his mounted police escort, who led "Big John" through red lights and up one way streets. "Hey, you guys are so special," he shouted with delight to the Taoiseach, who smiled contentedly and acknowledged salutes from the curious onlookers.
US Secret Service agents hovered around with their watchful eyes and prominent ear pieces as Big John managed a stately three miles an hour, a creditable performance seeing he was pulling 14 passengers whose combined weights were about the same as his.
A female member of the party asked about Col Rhett Butler's house from where he sallied one morning to go to Tara and meet Scarlett O'Hara, but Tony was so excited at crashing red lights that he forgot to point it out. The Taoiseach would have got a thrill, too, as it is only a year or two since he made a not too flattering reference to Rhett Butler in the Dail.
By now, back near the slopes of another Tara, in Co Meath, the memories of lovely Charleston lying between the Ashley and Cooper rivers and looking on to the Atlantic, will be gone with the wind. And journalists will be pestering him about elections. Frankly, he doesn't give a damn, but that's off the record.