Which First Spouse Will It Be?

In nine months, someone will succeed Laura Bush, first lady of the United States. That sobering reality should weigh heavily on the minds of voters.

Like her husband or not, it’s hard to find anyone who isn’t proud of how she has acquitted herself. Will that same feeling be showered upon the new first lady, or first gentleman? Make that first spouse, to be politically correct.

There’ll never be another Laura Bush. For the coming four years, possibly eight, the next president will usher a different marital partner into the splendid, historic residence that Americans revere as their own symbolic home.

So, this election is more than selecting the next president. It is also deciding who will have a guiding hand in determining the tone, the class and, above all else, the character of the White House.

That should matter exceedingly to all Americans, if examples for children matter anymore in this degenerating culture.

So, which one will it be?

Unless something serious and unpredicted happens, the Republican nominee will be John McCain. Should he win, the new first lady’s name will be Cindy.

Did you have to look up the senator’s official biography on the Internet to be sure? You weren’t alone. Cindy McCain is not yet a well-known, household name.

Her appearance is widely recognized, but what kind of person is she? What would she do as first lady? How influential would she be with her husband? What role would she take for herself? What would she be saying and writing?

In the Democratic Party, it is still undetermined whether Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama will be the nominee. At the moment, he is consider ahead.

His wife’s name, Michelle, may not be broadly known, but she certainly is. Her husband had her out front early in his campaign, giving speeches . . . and speeches. For some reason, she sort of seems to have dropped out of view.

Could it have been something she said? Like not being proud of her country?

No doubt this lady has a lot to say. Question is, As first lady, would she be giving voice to sentiments that not all Americans exactly hold dear?

What kind of America might she be depicting to folks around the world if she decided to take up international relations as her specialty?

What brand of fellow-thinkers might she be honoring or bringing into the White House? Would she see fit to have the pastor who presided over her and her husband’s marriage conducting prayer breakfasts in the east room? In front of the children?

Then, there is the other possible Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton. If elected, she won’t bring a first lady into the White House, but her first spouse should feel right at home. Hubby Bill has already slept there, as president.

No stranger to Americans, he. Voters in both parties know good and well who he is. They know the tone, class and character that the spouse of a second President Clinton would bring to every room in the White House, including the Oval Office. He’s already shown what he’s capable of doing in there.

The unknown is what other specialties he might indulge. Would he be chief adviser to his wife? What would he be saying or writing? What friends and associates might he bring home for supper or to sleep over?

At the end of four, maybe eight, years of Bill Clinton as first spouse, would Americans be proud they elected his wife president?

Before Nov. 4, every voter should seek a clear image of the person he or she would be sending to the White House along with the next president. It’s not too early to get acquainted, or reacquainted, with those possible first spouses.

Which one would you want as a role model for your child or grandchild?

John L. Perry, a prize-winning newspaper editor and writer who served on White House staffs of two presidents, is a regular columnist for Newsmax.com.

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