The Next President Should Be...

...Elizabeth Edwards.

I don't know why, but Mrs. Edwards has been on my mind quite a bit lately.

I think it is important to say that I care little for politics or the people involved in politics. I do not think politicians are trustworthy people. They lie, cheat and misrepresent the people they are supposed to serve. I am not a Republican, nor do I consider myself a Democrat. I am an independent person who thinks about the issues and what is best for everyone. I don't think that politicians are capable of this kind of thought process. They want to be elected and then re-elected. How they achieve these goals is really all they consider.

I like Mrs. Edwards. I think she is a genuine person. I know her husband is running for President and simply because she supports him, he may just get my vote, if he is able to make it that far. Certainly, I was pleased when he began to follow me on Twitter, but I am sure that he is not the person who enters his micro-blog, it has to be some sort of low level staff member. There is no way he could even know I exist. However, none of this has influenced my thoughts about Mrs. Edwards at all.

I also like Mrs. Edwards because she is a strong person. I think she always does what she believes to be the right thing to do. She is brave and never backs down from anyone. This is what I want in my President.

Mrs. Edwards lost her oldest son in a car accident. I can't imagine how difficult that was for her and her family, but somehow she survived. I think that I would have folded like a deck chair.

She now has 3 children. I have three children. Emma Claire is as old as my oldest son Calvin. Her son Jack is two years older than my daughter Savannah. I think she completely understands what it is all about being a parent. I bet she is concerned about leaving the world a better place for her kids, too. I don't know what any of the candidates feel about this issue because their only goal is tied to November, 2008.

I know; Mrs. Edwards has cancer. So what. We will all die some day, but she is not going to hide somewhere and fade way. She is going to stand up and do what needs to be done for her family. She is completely selfless that way. Abraham Lincoln was selfless, agonizing over what what was right for our country to the point of damaging his own mental health. Which Presidential candidate would do this? Today it is all about how well you can cover your own behind.

Elizabeth Edwards is an attorney, and normally I would hold this against anyone, but she has also been a substitute teacher. So, in my mind these two career choices cancel each other out and she is back to even again. As a teacher, I respect any substitute. That is hard, stressful work. You walk into the unknown and have to keep it all together until the teacher can return. You want to see what the real world is like? Sign up to be a substitute teacher.

I think she has got to be the most brave person I can think of, not because she has cancer, but because she fears no one. She is like Bruce Lee that way. Don't underestimate her or she will hand you your head in a basket, but in a nice way.

I think that Ann Coulter is a warped and nasty person. I do not know Ann, maybe she is nice in person, but her public persona is kind of scary. From a male perspective, she is an attractive woman. Perhaps that is what has led her to believe that whatever she says is acceptable. Men will do that around good looking women- agree to whatever they say and let them get away with murder. So she feels she always has 51% or so of the population behind her. She strikes me as a fast talking bully.

Elizabeth Edwards tracked down Ann Coulter, and in a very polite way, put Ann in her place. Ann is used to being nasty and saying whatever she pleases. Mrs. Edwards stated her case in a calm way and made Ann look like the fool she really is. Mrs. Edwards is beautiful in a way that Ann Coutler could never achieve.

Recently, a blogger became bold enough to question Mrs. Edwards' parenting choices. A short time later, Mrs. Edwards responded to the blogger. The blogger quickly changed her position realizing that perhaps she should mind her own parenting business. Mrs. Edwards was nice to her as well.

Mrs. Edwards is a diplomat that won't take any mess from anyone. She allows her adversaries to save face but backs down from no one. This is the kind of leader we need. No one would mess with her.

I would like to meet her, and give her a hug. Not out of sympathy, but out of respect. Maybe some of her strength would rub off on me. I wish that all of her remaining days are happy, and that some day her children come to understand her greatness.

Elizabeth Edwards should be the next President of the United States of America.