Rebooting the Presidency

One thing that has become apparent in the first 100 days of the Obama presidency is how little we had come to expect from the presidency. Bush had lowered the bar so low. Many Americans said about Bush - when he was popular - that they felt he was like them, that he was the kind of guy you would want to have a drink with (somewhat ironic given that he was a reformed alcoholic). He was not an intellectual - and many Americans liked that. In a sense he reminded them of Reagan - he had a clear vision of the World that could be edited down to one side of A4. Obama is the opposite. You might go to a basketball game with him, but you wouldn't go bowling. He has rebooted the notion of the presidency as being an office that deserves, and certainly requires, intellect - and that it commands a degree of respect. It is not an easy task, but he has an opportunity to restore greatness to the office, harnessing the responsibilties that go with that to improve the lives of all Americans and to maintain progress in the great adventure we call America.