I miss having a real president

Joni Mitchell said it best. “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?”

I miss President Obama. I miss his intelligence, his knowledge of history, his understanding of the world. I miss his quiet demeanor, his thoughtful use of words, his sense of humor. I miss having him as a role model, a devoted husband and father, a man not besieged by scandal. I miss not alienating our allies, not being embarrassed in front of the rest of the world, not feeling insecure about the safety of our democracy. I miss having a real president.

This story was originally published July 12, 2017 at 8:55 AM with the headline "I miss having a real president."