Several weeks ago, President Barack Obama, took a reporter and TV crew to a fast food restaurant for lunch. The menu was take out hamburgers and fries.
The restaurant patrons and employees alike were startled and thrilled by the President's appearance in so public a place. As I watched, the President stood in line, gave his order, and shook hands with other customers as if this was his favorite spot too. It was a wonderful moment watching our President hob nabbing with ordinary people.
It reminded me of those times when Presidents felt obliged to stay as close to public life as possible even though with personal danger. Presidents like Franklin Delano Roosevelt who rode slowly in an open convertible in streets across the country, or Harry S. Truman who took early morning walks in our nation's capitol, or Dwight D. Eisenhower who rode and walked down the streets of New York in the midst of a ticker tape parade, and of course when danger finally caught up with Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy the impact was enormous. We wonder, is it worth it?
Even though these excursions do take my breath away, I feel good about this small demonstration of our open society. Of course, this is to say nothing of the reprimand President Obama might have received from his wife or daughters for succumbing to a hamburger.
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