"Hmm," he murmured after taking a sip of wine. "I've read a good bit of Lincoln and never come across those lines that I can recall."
"I must admit, sir, that I have never researched it to see if it was in regard to the legislation that unleashed the well-leashed, small, local corporations. Lincoln needed big-time commerce to produce what it took to win the civil war-or so he thought--and corporations have been in charge ever since. Exhibit A: Our current economic collapse.
"Yes, it may have been his biggest mistake. Ah... I think Lincoln was aware of the problem before he died. Had he lived, I think we would have tried to correct his mistake in his second term."
I nodded. I had been delivering a steady, unhurried barrage of words and ideas that were probably new to him, so I let him mull it over his snails. He was matched by Robertson, who had ordered coffee with his escargot. I noticed that he sipped his coffee after every sip of wine. Another bite or two, a drink of spring water afterward to clear his palate, and a sip of the wine, which he obviously relished. After Obama had polished off another snail and taken another sip of wine, he spoke as I chewed the crunchy onions of my succulent soup.
"Are you saying that greed is one of our top problems, which you haven't discussed yet? Maybe our top problem?" He raised his eyebrows, expecting an answer.
I had a mouth full of soup, which I continued to chew, and I finally replied, "Yes and no. It's more complicated than that and we're not there yet... Barack."
"Barack?" Mr. Robertson responded automatically, reminding me just whom I was addressing.
I looked him in the eye and said cordially, "I'm Ed and you are... I've forgotten your first name?"
"John," he replied, "but I go by Oscar, no relation to the ball player."
All of us laughed and Oscar sipped his wine sheepishly.
"Sir, my point is," I emphasized to the President-to-be, "that this Malcolm X quote is a powerful, sharp sword in cutting through the hypocrisy of our time. I use first names for the same reason: to remind us of our equality, our common humanity. Enough of the imperial Presidency. I have one more question, a good one that shatters a lot of our current hypocrisy, and then we get to the heavy-lift question."
"This question is for President Bush and Reverend Billy Graham and it couldn't be simpler: 'Was Jesus Christ a conservative... or a liberal?'"
I went back to my soup, and five seconds didn't pass before he took the bait: "Reverend Graham? Why him?"
"Because he is the President's religious mentor," I answered after swallowing a mouthful of soup.
"He'll probably try to come to Bush's rescue with something like, 'Jesus Christ was not political!' To which I would immediately respond," I said and put down my spoon to free both hands.
"'Are you kidding, Reverend Graham? The greatest political act in history, sir, was when that semi-literate carpenter from Nazareth stood before the greatest empire the world has every seen.'" I held my hands high and apart, as if I were in the sandals of Christ and preaching to the Romans 2,000 years ago and said, "'Hey, fellas, you've got it all wrong. It's not, "Might makes right!" It's not, "the spot with the dollar sign beside your name; always, always maximize your gain!" That's not it. It's really about loving, sharing, and caring!' Now I hope you, Reverend Graham... and Mr. President, will join me in building a world of loving, sharing, and caring-like Christ-not a world of warring, exploiting, intimidating, and destroying."
"Do you really expect an answer?" he bantered with a laugh, then added, "Nice performance, though."
I smiled. "No, not from either of them. I know how you politicians don't want writers and philosophers like me to ask the questions. But... if these questions are asked nationally, it doesn't matter whether they answer or not. People are reminded that Christ was a liberal, not a reactionary Roman Republican who loved fat cats, killing machines, and voracious capitalism, like some people you know inside the Beltway."
He made a face and turned his head a notch, acknowledging my point. I saw his waiter and the sommelier appear in the doorway and nodded. We had ordered in advance, and the sommelier approached quickly and deftly presented the Bordeaux that Obama had ordered. They went through the ritual of the tasting, and on Obama's nod of approval, the steward filled his glass and set the bottle near Oscar after he had also filled his Bordeaux glass. The sommelier then topped off the Chablis of Robertson and my rose, while the waiter served Obama and Robertson their duck and vegetables. After my waiter served me my halibut and veggies and brought a new cup of coffee for Robertson, they all disappeared quickly.
I was amused by Robertson's management of his liquids as I noticed that he was now taking coffee twice for every sip of his Chablis. He ignored the Bordeaux, but he always primed his taste buds with spring water before he drank his wine. It struck me as hilarious that he was having a hard time keeping up, but I put his travails out of mind as I chewed a morsel of halibut and asparagus spear.
After sipping my spring water, I said, "Ready for the big enchilada?"
Obama sighed sarcastically, took a bite of duck, chewed a long moment and said, "What do you think I came for?"
"Looks to me like you came for the good French cuisine," I said with a wink; "remember it is on me." He grunted, raised his wine glass, and Robertson and I quickly toasted with him. "To your excellent selection!"
After sipping, I nodded my thanks, then hit him between the eyes:
"Do you agree, Mr. President, that the top five problems of the planet are:
1) the nuclear-tipped arms race, number one because it is the only problem that can destroy us (with ozone coming up quickly on the outside rail) and because by solving it, we can save trillions of dollars,
2) excessive population and population growth,
3) the stagnant, self-cannibalizing, super-wasteful, global, corporate market economy,
4) disparity between rich and poor within nations and disparity between nations, and
5) the environment, the Master of Ceremonies Problem that never leaves us, that we solve only in degree; and if you do not agree, Mr. President-Elect, what are the top five problems of the planet and where, sir, is your plan to solve them?"
"I must admit, sir, that I have never researched it to see if it was in regard to the legislation that unleashed the well-leashed, small, local corporations. Lincoln needed big-time commerce to produce what it took to win the civil war-or so he thought--and corporations have been in charge ever since. Exhibit A: Our current economic collapse.
"Yes, it may have been his biggest mistake. Ah... I think Lincoln was aware of the problem before he died. Had he lived, I think we would have tried to correct his mistake in his second term."
I nodded. I had been delivering a steady, unhurried barrage of words and ideas that were probably new to him, so I let him mull it over his snails. He was matched by Robertson, who had ordered coffee with his escargot. I noticed that he sipped his coffee after every sip of wine. Another bite or two, a drink of spring water afterward to clear his palate, and a sip of the wine, which he obviously relished. After Obama had polished off another snail and taken another sip of wine, he spoke as I chewed the crunchy onions of my succulent soup.
"Are you saying that greed is one of our top problems, which you haven't discussed yet? Maybe our top problem?" He raised his eyebrows, expecting an answer.
I had a mouth full of soup, which I continued to chew, and I finally replied, "Yes and no. It's more complicated than that and we're not there yet... Barack."
I looked him in the eye and said cordially, "I'm Ed and you are... I've forgotten your first name?"
"John," he replied, "but I go by Oscar, no relation to the ball player."
All of us laughed and Oscar sipped his wine sheepishly.
"Sir, my point is," I emphasized to the President-to-be, "that this Malcolm X quote is a powerful, sharp sword in cutting through the hypocrisy of our time. I use first names for the same reason: to remind us of our equality, our common humanity. Enough of the imperial Presidency. I have one more question, a good one that shatters a lot of our current hypocrisy, and then we get to the heavy-lift question."
"This question is for President Bush and Reverend Billy Graham and it couldn't be simpler: 'Was Jesus Christ a conservative... or a liberal?'"
I went back to my soup, and five seconds didn't pass before he took the bait: "Reverend Graham? Why him?"
"Because he is the President's religious mentor," I answered after swallowing a mouthful of soup.
"He'll probably try to come to Bush's rescue with something like, 'Jesus Christ was not political!' To which I would immediately respond," I said and put down my spoon to free both hands.
"'Are you kidding, Reverend Graham? The greatest political act in history, sir, was when that semi-literate carpenter from Nazareth stood before the greatest empire the world has every seen.'" I held my hands high and apart, as if I were in the sandals of Christ and preaching to the Romans 2,000 years ago and said, "'Hey, fellas, you've got it all wrong. It's not, "Might makes right!" It's not, "the spot with the dollar sign beside your name; always, always maximize your gain!" That's not it. It's really about loving, sharing, and caring!' Now I hope you, Reverend Graham... and Mr. President, will join me in building a world of loving, sharing, and caring-like Christ-not a world of warring, exploiting, intimidating, and destroying."
"Do you really expect an answer?" he bantered with a laugh, then added, "Nice performance, though."
I smiled. "No, not from either of them. I know how you politicians don't want writers and philosophers like me to ask the questions. But... if these questions are asked nationally, it doesn't matter whether they answer or not. People are reminded that Christ was a liberal, not a reactionary Roman Republican who loved fat cats, killing machines, and voracious capitalism, like some people you know inside the Beltway."
He made a face and turned his head a notch, acknowledging my point. I saw his waiter and the sommelier appear in the doorway and nodded. We had ordered in advance, and the sommelier approached quickly and deftly presented the Bordeaux that Obama had ordered. They went through the ritual of the tasting, and on Obama's nod of approval, the steward filled his glass and set the bottle near Oscar after he had also filled his Bordeaux glass. The sommelier then topped off the Chablis of Robertson and my rose, while the waiter served Obama and Robertson their duck and vegetables. After my waiter served me my halibut and veggies and brought a new cup of coffee for Robertson, they all disappeared quickly.
I was amused by Robertson's management of his liquids as I noticed that he was now taking coffee twice for every sip of his Chablis. He ignored the Bordeaux, but he always primed his taste buds with spring water before he drank his wine. It struck me as hilarious that he was having a hard time keeping up, but I put his travails out of mind as I chewed a morsel of halibut and asparagus spear.
After sipping my spring water, I said, "Ready for the big enchilada?"
Obama sighed sarcastically, took a bite of duck, chewed a long moment and said, "What do you think I came for?"
"Looks to me like you came for the good French cuisine," I said with a wink; "remember it is on me." He grunted, raised his wine glass, and Robertson and I quickly toasted with him. "To your excellent selection!"
After sipping, I nodded my thanks, then hit him between the eyes:
"Do you agree, Mr. President, that the top five problems of the planet are:
1) the nuclear-tipped arms race, number one because it is the only problem that can destroy us (with ozone coming up quickly on the outside rail) and because by solving it, we can save trillions of dollars,
2) excessive population and population growth,
3) the stagnant, self-cannibalizing, super-wasteful, global, corporate market economy,
4) disparity between rich and poor within nations and disparity between nations, and
5) the environment, the Master of Ceremonies Problem that never leaves us, that we solve only in degree; and if you do not agree, Mr. President-Elect, what are the top five problems of the planet and where, sir, is your plan to solve them?"
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