The Little Engine That Could: The Spick and Span Man Who Can

In a certain nation there stood an extremely large deficit that had to be drawn up an 
unusually heavy grade before it could reach solvency. The People of  the nation were 
not sure what was best for them to do, so they found a popular smooth-talking figure and asked:
 "Can you pull that debt we have over the mountain until we're free of the burden?"


"It is a very heavy deficit," responded the candidate, but he made it worse!

They then went to another lying candidate and 
asked:
 "Can you pull that burdensome debt over the hill?"


"It is a very heavy load to pull," she replied, "but I can do anything". They didn't believe her because she is known to lie.

The People were much puzzled, but they turned to still another candidate who was spick
 and span new, and they asked him:
 "Doctor, can you pull that deficit up the slope of the mountain?"


"I think I can," responded the good doctor.


So the polls were circulated, and the candidate
 started at the back of the pack, but slowly moved up so that he had confidence that he might be coupled
 to the people, and as he went along the route he kept repeating to himself: "I think I can. I think
 I can. I think I can."


The polls were made and the candidate began
 his journey, and all along the level, as he rolled 
toward the ascent, he kept repeating to himself:
 "I ---think ---I can. I ---think ---I--- can. I ---think--- I ---can."


But nefarious forces put slime on the slope and stones along the way. Those who sought to derail his campaign and his reputation said: "We'll see that he doesn't ---- we'll see that he doesn't --- we'll see that he doesn't."

Then the doctor reached the front of the pack, and his voice could still be heard: "I think I can. I----- think-----I-----can. 
I -----think----- I----- can." 
Higher and higher he climbed in the polls, and his voice
grew bolder and bolder as his words came to his own defense: 
"I -------think --------I-------can."


He was almost to the top.


“I ---------think"


He was at the top.


"I ---------can."


He passed over the top of all the rest and began 
speeding down the rest of the campaign.


'I ------think------- I------ can------I----- thought------I-------could I----- thought----- I----- could. I thought I could. I thought I could.
 I thought I could."


And singing in triumph because the smashers failed to smash him, he rushed on down 
toward the election where the good doctor finished his surgery. He cut the cancer right out of the media. He washed their slime from the slope. He succeeded in spite of their stone-throwing.

This man so spick and span CAN!