You Don't Have To Agree To Be A Real American

I just got an e-mail from a friend inviting me to "hear a message from a real American President." It's a 40-year-old replay of Ronald Reagan. Oh, I know he was lovely. Couldn't he just deliver those lines! Never mind that for half his last term of office he was senile. Oh, so many yearn for those times.

No one thought Truman would win. People couldn't stand him. He was an American President. And he won again. Now we quote him fondly. "The buck stops here." When is the last time you saw that happen?

Jimmy Carter was one of our more Christian politicians. And he wasn't very good at politicking We all applaud him for what he has done since for Habitat for Humanity. He probably said some stuff that made us feel good.

President Obama is a President. When he speaks, it is a Presidential message. He has a lot more faith in what the government can do, more than the rest of us, but he also listens a lot. Have you heard about his 12 letters? Every day, he asks his staff to find 12 letters that define where the people are today. Sometimes he answers those letters, and on occasion, he sends money out of his pocket. I've heard this from several sources. A lot of Texans, in particular, disagree with him. He speaks as the President. I'm not sure here he is honored as such.

I'm not going to hate Republicans. They are my neighbors and friends. But damn it, when Bush was president, I disagreed and still respected him for his office. I don't see the reverse happening. It angers me. No matter what we believe, can there not be respect? No, I am not a Republican. I don't think I can ever be a Democrat, either.

There are speeches we would rather hear. Rhetoric we agree with more. But you know what? When my president speaks, whether I am for him or against him, it is a Presidential Message.

If he is for what I am against, that is not a crime. He is one man. He has a vote, and I have one too. When my president speaks, I don't have to hear some 40-year-old message I like better. It doesn't matter.

When my President speaks, he is the President. I didn't like George W. Bush's politics. I still prayed for him every night. I believed he cared about our nation, even if his viewpoint was different.

I voted for Obama, but again, I often disagree. Pat me on the head if you want, but he is my President. And I pray for him every night, too.

And I will treat him with the SAME respect I gave EVERY OTHER ONE BEFORE HIM.

Oh, the Presidential people vary. The Office of President deserves variety. Someday, even, a woman. I may not always agree with her, either.

By the way, the "message from a REAL president " came from an organization seeking donations. As PT Barnum said more than 100 years ago, "There's a sucker born every minute."