# 20 – The American Presidency

I believe the President is a position to set the tone for the American people. Yes, the person makes lots of decisions that affect many American people, but they are to be a face of America, some one presentable and representative of us to the rest of the world. This is why I was excited about Obama coming in to replace Dubyah. I don’t doubt W’s integrity or sense of wanting to do good for the American people. I believe that he felt like he was doing many of the right things for us. I do believe, though, he was an embarrassment for the nation in the global media. This seems to have more to do with his accent and his speech, and the reputations that each carry with them, than his ultimate ethos of looking at the world. He would randomly make up words, slur his speech, say “Amurica” instead of “America,” which all built this image of himself that seemed to be uneducated and unknowledgeable. His charisma was lacking.
That is why I was anxious for some one new to come in, and, despite his “lack of experience,” I am happy Obama is in office. He is someone that many people can identify with and look up to. He’s educated, passionate, and, chiefly in my book, eloquent. A respectable representative to the rest of the world who wants to seek out understanding and peace with other nations and not call them names is a good guy in my book. The President’s most powerful tool has to be her or his speech, tone, and grammar. People will listen to what the President have to say and make their judgments based on that, be it the American public, the state of the nation, or the interactions going on in the world. The role a leader is to be a figurehead for us all to look up to and to represent our country tastefully to the rest of the world.