Cloris Leachman: A Rose Parade salute

As a fan of all things Cloris Leachman, I was very happy to see the news about her selection as grand marshal of the 2009 Rose Parade cross the wire on Friday. After the week this country has endured, America needs a little Leachman.

How can you not love a performer who always seems to enjoy -- no, revel -- in what she's doing, whether the material is worthy of her talent or not.

And she doesn't seem to have taken a day off since she started working steady in television some 60 years ago. It's been quite a ride for this daughter of Des Moines, from her secretarial days on "Charlie Wild, Private Detective" (which ran variously on CBS, ABC and DuMont from 1950-52) to strutting her stuff on "Dancing With the Stars."

As an added bonus, Leachman is a good friend of Betty White. What's not to like?