Dear President Obama,
It has been an amazing eight years. You swept into office in 2008 on a wave of “Yes, We Can” optimism that became the theme of your administration.
You did your best to find ways to bring people into the mainstream, to give everyone a shot at the American dream -- children of illegal immigrants, minorities, women, gays, people without health insurance. The list could go on and on.
Your role as consoler in chief will stay in my memory. That sad, sad news conference after the Sandy Hook shooting when you had to stop and wipe away tears of sorrow. And your moving speech after the murders at the Charleston church when you sang Amazing Grace.
There were way too many times you had to stand before the nation to offer comfort after terrible acts of violence. It had to be hard, but you never shirked; you were always eloquent, direct, comforting, at times angry.
In fact, among the many things I admire about you is your care with words. You took the time to analyze and study the issues and, when you spoke, your words carried the weight of that study. They had the power to move, to teach, to persuade.
Of course not everyone was persuaded. For every action you took, there was reaction. That is to be expected in these polarized times. But even your detractors acknowledge your extraordinary intellect, your humanity, and your sincere desire to achieve great things for America.
Many of us will miss you -- more and more, I suspect, as time goes on.
I'm Deborah Booth, and that's my perspective.
