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...I also have to question a commander in chief who lacks patriotic courage.

Yes, Chicago was the perfect opportunity to rise above the political give-and-take and defend the country against these thugs who would take away our free speech!

But neither Cruz, nor Rubio, nor Kasich defended us. Trump did. And Ronald Reagan certainly would have.

Cruz certainly wears the clothes of a patriot. He has himself photographed on the firing range. He raises his voice loud at the debates. His dormitory room at Harvard had a big Texas flag.

But how much of a love of country and the land of the Alamo is really felt in his heart? We don't know. The only clues we have are his actions at critical moments.

As a young person, your love of country is ill-formed, I think. When children hear the boom of fireworks in the sky, they think of thunder. When a veteran hears that sound, he thinks of cannons, rifle fire, and naval guns.

For most people, the patriotic spirit probably starts with competitive sports in high school. It grows further as we hold a job, build our careers, and begin to see the connection of things. Then, when we've created a certain value in the marketplace, we gain an even deeper understanding of what freedom means.

Eventually we feel it in our hearts, and tears will sometimes come to the eyes when we hear the phrase "Land of free, home of brave."

But I think you miss key things when you leap into politics after a law degree. Theory and law and philosophy are on a different plane than life itself.

And when you lack work experience, you can only fall back on book knowledge.

Yesterday, Cruz made reference to the Chicago riots of 1968. But living and experiencing the time of those riots is not a first hand experience for a guy born in 1970. So is Cruz trying too hard to appear Reaganesque?

A man or woman of true power and grace tells us what he or she personally experienced in life.

Carson and Trump have gracefully aged and acquired that fine vintage gravitas. I'm sure Kasich has some of that too, if we just had the patience to listen to his ramblings. LOL.

So these are my thoughts.