Respecting the President

Recently, related to Rep. Wilson's outburst during the President's speech to congress, I have seen comments related to respecting the President. I think there is some confusion on this subject. The President is a person, and as such should be respected based on how he chooses to act. The office of the President should be shown respect based on the position of leadership it represents in our government.

Rep. Wilson disrespected the office of the President, in my opinion. When people talk about his violation of basic rules of decorum and civility, what they are saying is Wilson did not show respect to the office of the President. He apologized for this, but is stopping short, and rightly so, of apologizing for his lack of respect for Barack Hussein Obama’s choices and behaviors. There is something to be said, especially if you are representing your state in the federal government, for being wise about how you represent your opinions of the President (both the office and the person).

On the other hand, we should not expect representatives to be mute on their opinions about the man in the office of the President. The legislature is supposed to be a check and balance for the other branches of the federal government, and a President that lies seems to need a check. Wilson believes the President was being less than honest, as do many of us, so he said so. What he did was not illegal, not even unusual behavior for a representative (how many called Bush a liar?), but it sure makes for good fodder for the liberal media and liberal past presidents looking for a headline.

If the White House is going to make a big deal about respecting the office of the President of the United States of America, I only have one thing to say....You first Mr. President, you first.