January 2001 – At the time of this writing it is still unclear who the next president of the United States will be. The jellyfish vote has still not been hand counted and judges in Florida are having a hard time finding volunteers to do so. But it appears Gov. George W. Bush of Texas will be our next president. For the last year or so, both he and Vice President Al Gore have invested their lives in winning enough votes to be the new leader of the free world. Some say Mr. Gore has been working for this opportunity his entire life, having been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives when he was in his 20s and later to the Senate, both times representing the people of Tennessee. It's true that Mr. Bush only entered politics a few years back--although he comes from a political family--and is in the middle of his second term as governor of one of the largest states in the country. But his attitude--while obviously serious about wanting to be president--has been that if he did not win the presidency, life would go on. It would not be the end of his world.
The first president I remember is Richard Nixon. I remember being in the den of one of my best friends when President Nixon announced to the country that he was resigning because of the Watergate scandal. That was 1973. I remember my friend's momma standing in the den crying. It was a sad day in the life of our country. Not that the resignation wasn't justified, it's just that it seemed an otherwise good, decent and honorable man had slipped and therefore lost the trust and support of the nation he was elected to lead.
But ultimately, President Nixon--as he had done in 1960 by not contesting a very close race which he lost to President John F. Kennedy--put the country first instead of his own ego or political ambitions. Today, nobody cries for America anymore. We're too jaded. But then, we don't have a president with the decency to resign after lying to the nation and to the courts. But Americans, for the most part, get what we want. We get what we deserve.
I have not trusted Mr. Clinton for years. I think he is a serial adulterer and a pathological liar. I hate to say that. I really do. His story of a poor boy from Hope, Arkansas, raised without the benefit of a father who beats the odds and reaches the pinnacle of power is really quite inspirational. I also believe he is one of the smartest men who has ever occupied the White House. But he has dishonored the office.
I was brought up to honor the office of the presidency, no matter who occupied the office. All of us 35 and older were. But I don't think kids today have a very lofty view of the presidency. At least not the kind we had when I was a boy.
Like a lot of Americans, I'm ready for a fresh start. I certainly hope and pray Gov. Bush will be an honest president. I hope and pray he will have high morals. I hope and pray he will remember that most Americans were not raised in relative wealth and privilege as was he. I get the sense that Mr. Bush really cares about the importance of truth and character. I get the sense that he really cares about people of all races, creeds, and colors. Again, I could be wrong, but I certainly hope not. I don't know if my flag-waving heart can take any more scandal for a while.
In case you are wondering, I can respect Democrats, too. I do respect former President Jimmy Carter. I don't agree with some of his political views, but I do think that he is an honest man. A man of integrity.
Look at his work building houses for the poor over the years. Most people who had accomplished what he has would have long since retired to a life of ease--far removed from using a hammer in response to the needs of those less privileged among us.
There are good and decent people who are Democrats and there are good and decent people who are Republicans. I just hope the next four years we have a president who will be someone the children of America can look up to. Maybe I'm too idealistic, but I don't think this is too much to expect.
