Heros Are Not Perfect

The other day. I was reading one of my favorite books " The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" and another teacher came into the room and she said, " Why are you reading about Theodore Roosevelt." I said that Roosevelt was one of my heroes growing up and he still is. She reminded that Theodore Roosevelt was against immigrants and was an imperialist. My response was no body's perfect. I knew all of the negatives about TR long before this person ever learned them . What makes Theodore Roosevelt and for that matter President Barack Obama my heroes is because as presidents they did something, they were agents of change.
President Roosevelt offered the "Square Deal" the first attempt by a president since Abraham Lincoln to better the quality of life for all Americans. He seriously looked at the health and well-being of all Americans. President Obama is taking on the hurdle of health care reform which will change the way we live for generations to come.
President Obama is not perfect and neither was president Roosevelt but what they desire for all Americans and the actions they take have changed and will change this nation for the better.
President Roosevelt gave us safe food and drugs to consume, the national parks, a regulated business community, a second to none military and national security. President Obama is trying and I think he will succeed , health care for all, quality schools, a strong economy and an America that is not the policeman of the world but an equal player in world affairs that dose not deal the cards but is an equal player with other countries.
Neither of these men is perfect and one of the problems with politics and voting is that we often try to find the most perfect person to lead us and that perfection does not always spell success.
TR had the same vision and vigor that President Obama has, the same sense of change and the courage to follow through and he received the same criticism everything from is youth and lack of experience to his winning of the Nobel Peace Prize.
These presidents are not perfect nor do they have the divine right of a kings . The president is, simply put, a real man not a perfect machine, he will make mistakes along the way but in his heart, his belief in America , who we are and what we can become makes both of these men great and always my hero's