Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: We have a new president

Thursday, Jan. 18, 2001 | 9:34 a.m.

Mike O'Callaghan is the Las Vegas Sun executive editor.

COME SATURDAY George W. Bush will become the president of our country.

You didn't vote for him? Neither did I.

For the first time in 100 years we will swear in a president who received fewer popular votes than his only major opponent. So? He won enough Electoral College votes to be the winner.

You don't like all of his Cabinet appointments? Neither do I, but certainly some of President Clinton's appointees also drew my fire when their names were made public.

Allow me the opportunity to repeat some of my thoughts published following the elections of Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Clinton:

"He is now president of every person living in this great country and the citizens and members of our armed forces scattered over the world. Yes, he is my president; the only president I have, and his success will be my success and his failures will be my failures.

"His wars will be my blood and his peace will be my comfort.

"His depressions will be my hunger and his economic success will be my prosperity.

"His embarrassment will be my shame and his triumphs will be my glory.

"His indecision will be my insecurity and his leadership will be my strength.

"His availability to the American people and the press will make me feel part of our governing process and his isolation from us will be my loneliness.

"His conduct in office will determine if I will crave for the presidential election of 2004 and wait impatiently for an opportunity to remove him from office, or weep if he does not run again that year."

What we don't need is a hate-driven campaign like the one that followed Clinton from Arkansas to the White House. Every effort to destroy him was made from the day he entered office until the time he left. Now the bogus special prosecutor has voiced his desire to carry it on after Clinton returns to private life.

In January 1981 this column noted:

"We weakened Jimmy Carter his first year-and-a-half in office and then spent the remaining 30 months picking his bones.

"We did the same thing to Jerry Ford the short time he was in office. We made a bumbler out of him and the evening news laugh was loudest when he bumped his head or fell down. Many Americans came to treat him like a big clown rather than their chief executive.

"President Ford, in real life, is a bright and decent chap and not a clownish bumbler.

"President Ronald Reagan is the only president we have and we should treat him better than we have treated other presidents in recent decades.

"Let Nancy, his wife, pick her own clothes and hairdresser. She doesn't need help ..."

Today let's not participate in the kind of treatment of soon-to-be President George W. Bush that haters and extremists waged against Clinton.

Fortunately, Clinton was bright and tough enough to leave office with a 64 percent approval rating after eight years in the White House. Future presidents deserve better treatment.

George W. Bush will be our president -- let's treat him and his office with respect.