No, I don't, ma'am. The only POTUS I EVER "revered" was the Gipper. I didn't recall Kennedy or Johnson. I supported Nixon and Ford and Carter (hey, I was politically-NAIVE). I respected and trusted Reagan and was inspired by Ol' Dutch to become more politically-active. I respected Bush the Elder, but learned that all nice men do NOT make good leaders of the Conservative Movement and some NiceGuysFinishFast&Last when pitted against inscrupulous DemonRAT Scum. Then, I learned to LOATHE Clinton, deeper than I have EVER LOATHED another individual on this Planet...Farr from "REVERANCE", IMHO.
"But I've met the last three Irish Presidents. And I've had dinner in the same company as the last three Irish Taoiseach (Prime Ministers) and have known so many Irish cabinet Ministers on first name terms it's embarrassing."
That is how I am with some of the folks who work in Richmond's City Hall...that's how politics is 'sposed to be, IMHO. Any of them kill 78 innocent men, women, and children like Clinton did at Waco, and I'm gonna git my arse over there and see that the GuiltyMass-Murderers are brought to JUSTICE!! And in a perfect world, all my neighbors will be equally outraged at the Coke-snortin', Intern-ballin', Serial-Rapin', Mass-Murderin', Justice-Obstructin', Treasonous, SonOfASleazyBarBi+c#&WhoThe HeckKnowsBastard(tm)...and that my equally-outraged neighbors--like me--refuse to take "NO" fer an A.N.S.W.E.R. when it comes to Gittin' "CosmicJustice!!"(tm)!!!
"(And I'm 30 years of age)."
But you carry on a conversation almost like a mature adult, my FRiend...I commend you fer yer precociousness.
"I know my country is tiny. And it's probably got a lot to do with my job as a journalist. It's just an interesting concept. I see people talk about Gerry Adams on this board. I've met the man, and interviewed him. (Weird experience)"
Please tell US about yer AdamsRendezvous, my FRiend.
"I don't hold reverence for public figures. I certainly respect them, I just have met so many in my own country, I see them as people first, and politicians second."
EXACTLY!!!! Fer this revelation, I'm hereby declaring YOU, HappyGal, a "CelebrityJudge!!"...'cuz YOU Git It!! Yer a dangerous subversive, young lady...30-year-old Irish chicks ain't 'sposed to know what YOU know.
More on this later...but Great Observation!!
FReegards...MUD
BTW...at the time he was POTUS, I must admit to involuntarily "revering" Ronald Reagan and he's NEVER done anything since the "reverence" set in to cause me to stop "revering" the "GreatestPresidentInMyLifetime--BarNone!!"...I don't "REVERE" George W. Bush, however, I DO Respect the Man and what he's attempting to do. Having "revered" Reagan, I am sympathetic to the BushBOTS propensity to exhibit "reverence" fer Dubyuh. Hey, post-Clinton, it's sorta like the ol' sayin' "In the ValleyOfTheBlind, the One-EyedMan is King!!"...and I seriously believe Dubyuh's got two good eyes!!
However, what worries me about BushBOTism is when I see folks thinkin' Dubyuh Can Do NO WRONG!! Heck, some folks even appear to believe that he did a good job in selecting his AttorneyGeneral when ALL evidence is to the contrary!! And these are SMART, Intelligent, politically-engaged, PATRIOTS who seem to have--temporarily, I'll bet--lost their NaturalUrging to ChallengeAuthority!!
And what's funniest about this is I'll bet'cha dollars to donuts that the Object de Reverance of the BushBOTS has more respect fer those willing to challenge his authority--like a MAN, not a LeftistPunk--than those who are soooo quick to "REVERE" a man who has--IMHO--had a PurtyDecentStart to a HOPEULLY-REVERENCE-WORTHY eight years in office!!
I think you are correct in noting that Americans tend to be hero-worshippers, be the hero an entertainer, an athlete, or a political leader. In fact, the walls of my study are lined with 8X10 autographed photos of some of my favorite baseball players. So, I am guilty, too.
I don't particularly revere George W. Bush, but I do admire him. Almost as much as my two real political heroes, Ronald Reagan and Oliver North. But I am learning more and more clearly that these people we like to refer to as heroes are really human beings just like you and me. They all certainly have their shortcomings and weaknesses and they often fail miserably. I remember taking my son to see a ball game a few years ago and we tried to get Barry Bonds (who set the record for most home runs in a season, 73) to sign a ball for us. This was when he was still at the beginning of his career and was essentially a "nobody". Well, he refused our request and was rude to us. I still remember the disappointment on my 10 year old's face. Anyway, he learned the truth about hero worship early.
I have met three US presidents (Nixon, Reagan, and Bush the elder) as well as one Vice President (Hubert Humphrey). Reagan and Humphrey were the most sincere. Didn't mean to ramble.