I think I would make an excellent President. Why? Because I don’t want to be President.

George Washington, the first President of the United States of America, didn’t want to be President. In fact, he loathed the idea. It is common knowledge that during the American Revolution, Washington fought for the right of the colonists to separate from British monarchy. Even though the Founding Fathers cautiously crafted our system of government and our Constituton, Washington could not see himself stepping into the role of President because he believed it bore too much resemblance to the British crown. Why would he want to step into a role he fought so hard to break away from? Most people don’t know that Washington had to be coerced to step into office, that he did all he could to avoid the position, and when he took on the role of President every step he took was tenuous. Washington was not a politician. He was a war hero. He was an ordinary man that had achieved extraordinary things. He was aware of his own faults, his own desires and needs from his country, and fearful that he would ruin America with his bias. As a result, Washington played one of the most distant Presidential roles in our nation’s history. He was intent on allowing the majority to speak rather than trying to pass his own legislation or create policy that benefited his lifestyle. When historians say that George Washington was one of our nation’s best Presidents they mean it. He embodied the very essence of what American’s were trying to accomplish - democracy. Sure, he had his own faults. All people do, especially politicians. But it was Washington’s awareness of his faults and his desire to allow America to mold itself that make him a Presidential paradigm.

I try to imagine what it would be like to have a Presidential candidate in the 2008 primary season that was half as brilliant or democratically motivated as George Washington. In modern society, politicians want to be President because the position holds unbelievable power. Of course, let us not forget that the position pays well and allows white collar men/women to establish and create more connections, which in turn allows them to make even more money. Bill Clinton took in more than 10 million dollars for his last book alone! I can’t even begin to fathom how well Obama’s Audacity of Hope is doing. Gone are the days where men and women dreaded having to become a part of the political process because it meant making long journeys across the country and taking time away from better paying jobs to participate in a government which offered welfare-like paychecks. Gone are the days when Presidents worked arduously just to ensure that our government wasn’t folding in on itself and becoming what revolutionaries had fought so hard to escape. The fact that Bush tried to amend the Constitution to reflect his own definition of marriage shows how greatly the position of President has evolved. Most people don’t know that the majority of the Founding Fathers were Deists, a non-Christian, nature encompassing religion which largely condemns the Bible. I can’t help but wonder if Benjamin Franklin is rolling over in his grave every time Bush holds a press conference. In the 1796 Treaty of Tripoli the United States government denounced any direct affiliation with Christianity.

The goal of America was to become religiously free, not to recreate the religiously intolerant shit piles Europeans had been stepping in for years. Yet, 208 years later (when you think about the fact that some people live to be 100 years old, this doesn’t seem that long ago, does it?) Bush asked America to claim Christianity by placing an amendment in the Constitution dictating what marriage is for Christians. Wow. Just… wow.

As I said before, look how far we’ve come. Unfortunately, I can’t say these changes are/were good changes, because more than anyone, I believe the quality of our government has been in a constant state of decline since the early years of our nation’s inception. We have taken a relatively good foundation and continued to break it apart for years. In essence, we are screwing up the very thing that once brought us all together. Rome was a 900 year old society when it finally broke into pieces, being absorbed into newly formed states. I can’t help but feel that the Romans knew something the American government doesn’t, that we’re slowly but surely heading towards our decline, but at a rate that far exceeds that of Rome.

You can be sure Obama is every bit as self-absorbed as every politician who has run for President before him. He will not be able to turn back the hands of time. He cannot be as self-sacrificing as George Washington. If he was, he’d be eaten alive by other politicians. The very fact that Obama is able to compete in this primary season seems to suggest that he plays the same games all politicians play. You can’t play a game of baseball without players, and players can’t play well unless they have enough skill and savvy to do so. Likewise, you can’t have a primary without politicians, and politicians can’t do well unless they have enough skill and savvy to do so. Hillary and Barack are competing at the same level with the same blame games and the same support. Polls have shown for months that the two Democratic candidates are roughly tied time and time again. Its a staple of our society at this point to have corrupt politicians. And the fact that two corrupt people are again running for office is really no surprise.

That’s why I propose we forgo the entire primary season and instead, elect me for President. Just think…

Its time someone reclaimed the White House and the Presidency for what it truly is, a shit job with a lot of headaches. It shouldn’t be a position of enormous wealth or power. It should be a position of impartiality, of listening to the public. Now that, my friends, is change - ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Tags: America, Benjamin Franklin, Bill Clinton, Bush, Constitution, George Washington, Hillary Clinton, monarchy, Obama, Rome, Tripoli, United States, United States of America