I’ve read or I’m reading books written by the contenders for the office of  President of the United States in 2008 who most intrigue me. I completed “The Audacity of Hope,” the best-seller by Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, and I’m currently immersed in “From Hope to Higher Ground” by former Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas. Despite the fact these men are on opposite ends of the political spectrum, I found that they share the same spirit of hope and optimism our nation so desperately needs in these angry, divisive times. I’m going to first offer my opinion of Governor Huckabee, and my next post will offer my thoughts on Senator Obama.

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I had the pleasure of campaigning alongside former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele for much of 2006, and I love the man. He is one of the most affable, gracious, engaging and authentic people I’ve ever met. He instantly makes you feel welcomed and comfortable, and there is no pretense about him. My mother was visiting from Louisiana during the last two weeks of the campaign and I took her to an event where Michael was to endorse me. I introduced them and he made her feel like a queen!

I have a story about him that illustrates who he is. I was at a Redskins game with my son and a friend, the father of my son’s best friend who happened to be celebrating a birthday that day. During the tailgate party, my friend, a devout Catholic, asked me what Michael was like, and I described him in pretty much the same terms as above. At the end of the game, he caught up with me and excitedly told me that he and his son were riding one of the elevators at FedEx Field when they ran into none other than Michael Steele! My friend said he was just as I described him; he engaged them in conversation, congratulated his son on his birthday and generally made them feel comfortable and important. He won himself two more fans that day, and reinforced my view of him as a thoroughly decent man.

He also stands out in my mind as a living example of what happens to you when you’re outside of the mainstream of black opinion.

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“But I figure if the king tells you to go conquer the hinterlands one day, and tells you to shoe his horse the next day, you should do them both without slacking. He is the king.” ~ Andrée Seu, Christian author

I have a bone to pick with the Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton – not like that’s anything new for me, mind you. But this time I think they’re going too far, and it has everything to do with the “Rev.” prefix they both carry. That designation carries with it a sacred obligation to uphold the word of God and lead by example and, in at least one of their many campaigns against a perceived problem, they are violating that obligation by essentially telling their “flock” to ignore the word of God.

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Dear Mr. President:

Will you accept some unsolicited advice from a friend? No, you don’t remember me; I’m one of thousands of people who have crossed paths with you over the years. You invited me to become a volunteer for your first political campaign “back in the day,” as the kids say today. I was on your payroll for three years; I even got to visit you in the Oval Office along with a few of my colleagues. You were very generous with your time, respectful of the office and humbled by the charge you’ve been given. I like you, so please hear me out when I tell you your threat to veto a bill giving the residents of the District of Columbia their own representative in the U.S. Congress is not helping you or the Republican Party.

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