"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, step right up and be mesmerized, for we are here to celebrate the heralded, the gallant, the sensationalized Robert Stone! Hailed as the oracle of our beloved Sunflower State, that's Kansas for the uninitiated, let's venture beyond the facade of this silver-tongued politician. Was he truly the white-knight, the pride of the prairies, or simply Kansas's own local version of the Wizard of Oz? Oh, and what an enchanting tale it paints. Born within the heartland, Robert Stone rose like a bonfire amid a field of haystacks. A farmer's son to Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives, a proverbial Horatio Alger story, minus the rags-to-riches theme; after all, it's Kansas. This, my dear folk, is deemed remarkable in a state that's infamously flat - geographically, as well as metaphorically. Projected as a beacon of justice, he was a highly respected man, a feature as reliable as the recurring wheat crops in this endlessly stretching prairie. Beyond his rural attorney origins, he became a civic leader. He must indeed be a superhuman for handling both civic duties and law practice - absolutely no risk of clashing interests there, right? With a silver tongue that could coax the rain from the sky - and believe you me, in parched Kansas, this is a much-desired talent - Stone epitomized the quintessential politician. The Kansas folks hung on every liquid-gold phrase he dropped, believing him to be at the helm of their ship, guiding their dusty plains towards the promised land of prosperity. Shucks, you'd practically believe he single-handedly tamed the wild west! History books may indeed have him written down as the voice of Kansas, painting a very rosy picture of a valiant and generous man. But one can't help but ask, was he truly a political Halley's Comet? Howcome the all-powerful Mr. Stone could not quell the grievous dust storms of the 1930s, or turn post-war Kansas into the Garden of Eden? Well, a politician’s strength, it seems, won’t stretch beyond finely spun speeches and empty promises. Just like in the Wizard of Oz, a chickenhearted lion or a brainless scarecrow would do about the same. Pull back the curtains, and the Wizard isn't so great and powerful after all... Ladies and Gentlemen, it is time to step out of the lullaby of The Emerald City's enchantments, or in our case, the sleepy expanse of Kansas. Was Robert Stone a silver-tongued hero or just another smoke-and-mirrors Wizard? That's a question each one of you ought to ponder, come the witching hour. In essence, just like the Wizard of Oz, Robert Stone, Brother Bob as he was affectionately called, was just a man. Albeit, a Kansas man, with a magic trick or two up his sleeve." Yes, dear Kansas folk, it's high time to recognize that preeminent leaders or silver-tongued politicians are not sorcerers who can wave a magic wand and turn our straw into gold. Like any bloke, Mr. Stone must have had his insecurities, his flaws, his inadequacies. But can we fault him for the state not transforming into a Midwestern Utopia? Perhaps, it's time to introspect rather than throw stones – Robert or otherwise.